Three's Company
by TheBetterPoison
Summary: A Spuckcedes fic! Spuckcedes take on LA after graduation. But as great of friends & more as Sam, Puck and Mercedes are, being roommates isn't smooth sailing all the time. Drama, romance & comedy are going to hit them throughout this fic! Rated M for 1 chapter of sexual content.
1. California Love

**August 2012**

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"Still pretty crazy that your parents were cool with this."

Mercedes shook her head with a weak smile, "My dad isn't really. If it weren't for my mom, this probably wouldn't have even happened, but also, I'm an adult now so…" Her words faded out as she realized how non-adult saying that was. Shaking her head to try and erase it like an Etch-a-Sketch, she finished explaining with, "I think he's trying to prove a point by letting me do this. Like I can't do it so I'd end up coming back home and going to school there like he wants."

After reclining the passenger seat of Mercedes' Chevy Equinox, Puck took a sip of his Coke and then told her, "Well, kudos to you, Jones, for getting' outta Lima with me. Sure it'll probably suck at times but—you and me are tough as nails. We're gonna take over LA."

Smirking a little more confidently, she replied, "You know it!"

Behind them, Mr. and Mrs. Jones were following with a miniature U-Haul for Puck and Mercedes' larger furniture items. They had crossed into the California border and were only a few short miles away from the apartment complex—Puck and Mercedes' new home.

"Damn it feels good to be in California!" sighed Puck.

Mercedes' brows pulled together, "We haven't even been here that long."

"Who cares? The point is that we are here! And I dunno about you but there's no way I'm looking back."

"What about your mom and sister?"

Puck shrugged, "You know what I mean. I'll call and visit them when I can, but it'll be a rainy day in hell before I move back to Lima." As he started taking another sip of his Coke, his phone buzzed in his lap. He checked the message sent and rolled his eyes.

Mercedes grew curious by his silence, "What?"

"Your boyfriend. He's so pussy-whipped, it almost breaks my heart."

"You're trippin'," Mercedes replied with a swat of his arm. "What did he say?"

"Wanted to make sure I got you there OK. Still think he's not pussy-whipped?"

Mercedes quickly replied, "No. Just 'cause you care for a girl doesn't mean you're pussy-whipped, Puck."

He waved her off and sent brief text back before slipping his sunglasses on and reclining in his seat.

"Uh…what are you getting comfy for? Get your shoes off my dash—we're here!"

Mercedes turned her Torrent, as instructed by her GPS—into the wide entry of the LA apartment complex where she and Puck would now be living.

After getting the final papers signed and giving the owner a deposit, Puck and Mercedes were each handed a key. Mercedes pulled out her phone to text Sam the good news. After hitting 'send', she beamed up at Puck and he smirked triumphantly back at her. Unfortunately her smile did fade when she turned to see her father wearing the same hard grimace on his face that he had after first allowing it. Her mom rushed to her side and said, "Let's go unload your furniture so your father and I can return this U-Haul and get to the airport."

Mercedes nodded and she and Puck followed the elder Jones out of the office. The apartment was in the back, past the various rows of carports and numbered homes. Finally they parked, got out and let themselves inside apartment #8A. It was a two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a small kitchen, and an even smaller patio, but a fairly spacious living room.

"Great, a downstairs one," Mr. Jones muttered, "Least the furniture will be easy to move."

Together, the four unpacked Mercedes' bed frame and mattresses, Puck's bed frame and mattresses, two small dressers, one old couch and a coffee table that would suffice as an entertainment center. The rest of Puck and Mercedes' things were crammed in the back of her Equinox; or at least in Mercedes' case, some things were still left in Lima.

She hugged her parents farewell, acknowledged all of their reminders about taking care and paying the rent on time, and then closed the door behind them. As she turned to face Puck, her lips spread widely, "Oh my God…pinch me Puck 'cause this sure as hell doesn't feel real!"

"Believe it, Mercedes!" he said back, matching her sudden excitement.

They both felt it—as soon as they closed the door on their new apartment in Los Angeles. As soon as they forgot any and all foreseen obstacles or problems they were already aware of abandoned them in that moment. No matter what the future held for them, they knew they were going to everything to stay in LA.

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_**PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS! Please & thank you! :) Hope you'll enjoy this multi-chapter fic!**_


	2. Apples, Carnivals & Stallionz

**August 2012**

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"Sammy come play Apples to Apples with us!"

"Yeah Sammy! I got the cards ready!"

Sam lifted his face from the twin size mattress and cracked an eye open at his younger siblings. The two small blondes were tugging at his arm, which had been previously hanging dead over the side of his bed. He yawned, "Guys, come on—I'm trying to sleep."

"But Saaaammmy," whined Stacy, "Morning's over!"

"Yeah and you promised you play with us before school starts!" Stevie sternly added.

Knowing that he wasn't going back to sleep, Sam kindly freed his arm from his siblings and sat up, lifting one hand to rub his eyes, "Aright, gimme some time to get dressed and stuff and then we'll play, okay?"

"Yay!"

"'Kay!" and with that, Stevie grabbed his sister's hand and raced out of the room with her.

Meanwhile, Sam's shoulder's sagged. Ever since Puck and Mercedes left for L.A. last week, he'd been trying to sleep as much of the days away until he had to start school again. Sure, calling and texting Mercedes every night would happen, but he couldn't help feeling like it was last year all over again—they had just gotten close, only to be separated by distance. He didn't regret supporting Mercedes in following her dreams, but he kept wishing there was a way for him to be there with her, now.

In that moment, anger flashed across his face; he cursed his dyslexia for forcing him to repeat the seventh grade. He should have been graduating with his best friends and girlfriend. He shouldn't have had to worry about being homeless in Lima yet again, due to the Hudson-Hummel family scattering for their future plans. And he wouldn't have had to bring himself back to Kentucky and transfer back to his old-new high school for his senior year.

Sam sighed, leaving his bed. None of these thoughts were new to him. In fact, he'd run all of this in his head at least a hundred times over the summer. Kurt tried to make him feel better by comparing his situation to what he and Blaine were going through, but Sam didn't feel like it was the same. Blaine and his family had the money to fly him out to visiting Kurt every other weekend in New York. Blaine knew he would be able to follow Kurt to New York after graduating. Meanwhile Sam had just re-applied to Saddles the other day—along with applications to a few other places—and tried taking Kurt's advice of purchasing a webcam for his laptop for Skype dates. But he had no idea when he was going to be physically close to his girlfriend again.

He depressed himself significantly with the thoughts of missing Mercedes while brushing his teeth and splashing some water on his face. After throwing on some basketball shorts and a white v-neck, he wandered out of his room and saw his siblings plopped on the living room couch with their eyes on Spongebob Squarepants.

"You two still wanna play Apples to Apples?" he asked with the fakest level of enthusiasm.

"Yes!" Stacy perked up, dashing over to the kitchen table where she and Stevie had pre-dealt the Apples to Apples Jr. cards.

After getting a granola bar out of the cupboard, Sam sat with them.

"Those are yours, Sammy," Stevie said, pointing to a pile of red cards.

"Heh, thanks," Sam said with a half smile.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Stacy asked—a deep frown carved on her face.

Sam perked up slightly and reached out to poke his sister's cheek, "It's nothing Stace."

"He misses 'Cedes," Stevie said as though Sam weren't in the room with them.

"Ohhh. I miss her too!" She picked up her cards, "When are you gonna see her again? Is she gonna come to Kentucky soon again?"

Trying to put on a good face for his siblings, Sam pursed his lips in a faint smile, "I dunno."

"I hope it's soon," wished Stevie. "You're not the same with her in California."

Taken aback, Sam's brows came together a fraction. Immediately after, he shook his head; sometimes it truly baffled him, just how observant his younger siblings were. He tried changing the subject by asking, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Oh! Mommy's in the garden," Stacy announced. "And Daddy's working."

"You should use your computer thing, Sammy."

Sam's green eyes went back to his brother, "What?"

"To talk to 'Cedes."

"Oh! Oh! Can we talk to her too?" begged Stacy.

He chuckled, "I dunno. She might be busy, guys. She's been trying to get this job…" His voice trailed off. Telling of her job hunt only reminded him of one fact: he hadn't told her about his re-application to Stallionz. It was his luck that she didn't judge him harshly for having worked there when he did, but she made it very clear to him that she didn't approve of him working there ever again, for two reasons. The first was that she didn't want him lying to his parents. Dwight and Mary were incredible parents and Mercedes knew they had raised an honest son. The second reason only came up when the subject of Sam's virginity—or lack thereof—traveled through the grapevine and hit Mercedes' ears. It was the first fight they'd had since his return to Lima. Fortunately they were able to talk things out and move on from it, but that hadn't come without a few warnings from Mercedes.

He knew he was taking a huge risk with his re-application, but Sam had his reasons for justifying his actions. The first was that he was well-liked at Stallionz and had a good feeling they would hire him back. It would put an end to his job hunting, and as much as he didn't like lying to his parents, he could tell them that Dairy Queen hired him back. The second reason was that it did pay well. He could resume helping his parents out with groceries and things, and maybe even put some money aside for a round-trip flight to California in the fall. And as long as he kept Little Sam inside his shorts, he'd be okay.

"Sammy, you didn't put a card down!" said Stacy—her accusation pulling him out of his thoughts.

Sam glanced down to see that the green card read, "Fun places." He looked at his hand of red cards and smirked when he saw one of his options. There was no way he wasn't going to use it, so he withdrew it from his hand and slapped it on the table with Stevie's card.

Stacy closed her eyes and randomly picked up the two cards, one-by-one and then opened her eyes to read them. She mouthed each option to herself and then gasped, "Oooo, I know which one I pick!"

Sam grinned and Stevie groaned when Stacy put Sam's card down, face-up. "Carnivals."

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_**Please leave reviews! This fic is in its early stages, but do you have any predictions on what's to come? Let me know!**_ :)


	3. Ups & Downs

**September 2012**

"Puck!"

Mercedes stuck her head out of the bathroom door, wearing a vicious glare. Puck was nowhere in sight but she could hear him moving about his room nearby. "Puck!" she yelled again, approaching his bedroom door in her bathrobe. "What the hell! You use my towel to stand on while you dry off and then turn the bathroom into a smelly Axe sauna?"

The mohawked male whipped his bedroom door open; immediately more Axe body spray wafted from him, causing Mercedes' nose to wrinkle.

"Ugh!" she covered her nose and from behind her hand she told him, "Seriously? How have you not given yourself a headache or something?"

"What the hell are you fussing about, Mercedes?" Puck asked, staring down at her.

"My towel! And the bathroom! But mostly my towel and you using it as a rug!"

Puck retorted as he walked past her, "Well if I hadn't used it, you woulda bit my head off for dripping water on the floor."

"I_ told_ you we needed to get rugs!"

"Yeah? So get some," he replied nonchalantly. He checked his mohawk in the reflection of his cell phone and then lowered it to send a text message.

Mercedes clicked her tongue and sighed angrily, "I told you already—I can't afford it right now. I'm still trying to find a job. But what about all those tips you brag about from the pools you've been cleaning already?"

Before Puck could answer, she took in his slightly dressed up attire—dark blue jeans and a black pinstripe dress shirt—and flattened her expression, "Forget I asked. You're going out again, huh?"

"You know it," he answered with a smirk, still staring at his phone. "My fake ID is _gold_, and his city's crawling with chicks who haven't met ol' Puckasaurus yet." He glanced up at her for a second and then back down at his phone, "It wouldn't kill for you to get out once in a while and paint the town red. Do something besides job hunting and grocery shopping when you leave this place."

The diva rolled her eyes and stated the obvious, "I have a boyfriend."

"So?"

"_So_ I don't get down like that. And job hunting's exactly what I need to be doing before I go tryin' to keep up with your partyholic self. If I don't, the money I've got saved for my half of the first couple month's rent is gonna vanish and I'll end up back in Lima by Christmas."

Puck shrugged his broad shoulders, "You'll find something. Anyway, I'll be back late." He swiped his keys and wallet from the kitchen table before wandering to the front door, "Don't wait up for me!"

"Don't worry—I won't. Just don't get yourself lost 'cause I'm not getting myself lost trying to look for you again. LA is too huge for that."

"Yes, Mom," he mocked shaking his head on his way to the front door.

Mercedes returned to the bathroom to run herself a bath, but left the bathroom door open to try and air out some of the potent aroma. While the water ran to fill up the tub, she returned to her bedroom, sat on her full-size bed and pulled her laptop screen up. Right away, the screen came to life. She pulled up Google Chrome and, out of desperation went to craigslist. After clicking on the hospitality and food service jobs, she instantly regretted it. There were dozens upon dozens of places looking for waitresses and managers and caretakers—none of which Mercedes had experience in. She had hoped a café might be in need of a vocalist to perform live tunes, or something like that but no such position appeared.

With a sigh, she abandoned the computer and checked on her bath water. Deciding that it was full enough, she turned the water off, returned to her room to get a fresh towel and her phone, and went back to the bathroom. Most of the Axe smell had gone—either that or she had grown used to it for the time being. She set the towel on top of the toilet lid and stepped inside, lowering herself into a sitting position while fiddling with the iHeart Radio app on her Droid. Once she had some Old School R&B tunes going, she closed her eyes and let the hot water try to relax her. Unfortunately it didn't last; the music on her phone paused and was replaced by the sound of her text jingle.

"_**Hey, what are you up 2?**_' it read. Sam.

She sighed softly but also faintly smiled, "_**Just got in the bath. Aren't you in bed?**_"

"_**Nope.**_ _**You forget it's Friday. Friday gotta get down on Friday**_… _**;)**_"

Mercedes snorted and chuckled at that. "_**Stop yourself now. Lol**_."

Shortly after she sent the text, her phone buzzed in her hand while flashing Sam's name. She smiled and answered the call, "You're a trip, you know that?"

"Yep and if I ever forget, I'll have you to remind me."

Through another peal of giggles, she asked, "So you got off work early tonight?"

"Oh uh…Well I got tonight off, but um…I have the house to myself until my parents get back with Stevie and Stacy."

"Oh, where'd they go?"

"Movies. Finding Nemo in 3D."

Mercedes shifted in the tub, causing the water to slosh slightly while she, "Aww"-ed at Sam's response.

He chuckled, "Yeah…where are you anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm still in the tub."

"Ah that's right." He sighed, "Makes me wish even more that I was there with you."

She frowned slightly but before she could respond, Sam asked her, "Where's Puck at?"

"Out," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "Did you know he got a fake ID?"

"Yeeeah he mentioned it to me before you guys left. But hey, at least he's getting to know his way around LA."

"Psh, yeah I guess. I don't wanna talk about Puck—don't get me started on him right now. I miss you."

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good. Am I gonna have to come out there and get crazy on him?"

She heard his impersonation of her and laughed softly, "Yeah you might."

"Noted. I miss you too though. It's weird going back to school and you're not there."

As the words left his mouth and hit her ears, her frown returned; one month and things were already feeling like déjà vu, right down to their "I miss you" conversations. She stared feeling anxious, and Sam seemed to pick up on it from her sudden silence.

"Listen, I'm working on a surprise for you but enjoy the rest of your bath and call me when you get out, okay?"

Mercedes moved the phone away to look at it as though he could see her skeptical expression. "Alright, but you know I'm not gonna be able to relax now."

"What? Why not?" She heard him ask as she brought the phone back to her ear.

"Because," she grinned, "now I'm wanting to know what that surprise is."

Sam chuckled, "You'll find out when you're supposed to. I love you, baby."

"I love you too. Bye." She hung up and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what surprise Sam was conjuring up.

Twenty minutes later, she was out of the tub and on her bed in pajamas, searching for more possible jobs on her laptop while her phone rang for Sam. After several rings, it went to voicemail: "Hey it's Sam. Sam I Am. Anyways! Sorry I missed your call. Leave a message after the beep."

Slightly crestfallen, Mercedes said, "Hey it's me—just calling you back. I guess you fell asleep, but I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm gonna try to get more job applications filled out. Have a good night. I love you."

After hanging up, she scrolled through a web page that showed local businesses that were hiring. Mercedes picked up a notebook and pen and started jotting down the addresses but as she reached the bottom to the page, her eyes locked on the address for a place called the Hotel Café. After a little more research, she came to find out that it was an intimate music venue, but they were looking for a singer to perform on slow open mic nights, and possibly open for artists in emergency situations. It paid $12 an hour, plus tips and the auditions were that coming Monday.

Mercedes frivolously wrote the address down, shut her laptop and rushed to call Tina. Out of any of her close friends, she had a good feeling Tina would still be up this late. "Tina? Guess what! I Think I might have found my new job, but I want your help. I need suggestions for song auditions…"

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_**Please leave reviews! Are you liking it so far? Let me know! More's coming. :)**_


	4. Melting White Chocolate

**September 2012**

"_**Went to a movie and dinner with some friends. Be back later. –Sam**_"

That was the note Sam scribbled for his parents and left on the kitchen table before darting out the door. Not a full minute had passed after hanging up with Mercedes, did he receive an urgent call from his boss at Stallionz.

"_Evans! We need you to get down here immediately! Troy called in sick and the club's packed tonight. Twenty minutes or you're fired!_"

He didn't have the chance to respond before his boss hung up on him. Sam kicked it into high gear, changing out of his pajamas and grabbing his keys and wallet. In his rush, he'd left his phone on his bed and only realized it once he reached Stallionz. He had only been back a few weeks, yet the money was as good as he remembered and despite his late weekend shifts, he was able to keep his excuses going to keep from raising suspicion with his family or girlfriend.

When he got backstage, his construction outfit was waiting for him. He quickly changed, pressing the Velcro sides together on his pants and clipping the suspenders on when his boss knocked.

"Two minutes and you're on, Evans!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he called back. Each time he was about to go on stage, his mind was riddled with a fear that a repeat of last year would occur, just as Finn and Rachel had found him. Only this time he worried irrationally that Mercedes would come storming through the doors, yank him off the stage by his suspenders and beat him with his own helmet. He knew how wrong it was for him to be lying to her about this but he also hoped that if he could save up just a little more money and be out in California with her, then maybe she'd go easy on him for his reason behind his return to the strip club.

Sam rushed out of the dressing room to join the lineup of his co-workers. Ahead of him, a man a little older and brawnier than him was scantily dressed like a sailor with an eye patch. He turned back to Sam and smirked, "Josie roped you in tonight too?"

"Heh, yeah about half an hour ago." He shook his head, "Sounds crazy out there though."

"Yeah apparently some girls from one of the state schools came up for some sorority thing."

Sam arched a brow and smirked, "Wow. Well that explains a lot."

"All it says to me as that we won't have to work so hard for tips. They'll put out before our first number's up."

The two laughed and looked towards the curtains as the MC started up their intro music. Still having an attraction to LMFAO songs, the bass thudded as "I Am Not A Whore" began to play.

"Alright ladies, are you ready for Kentucky's finest?" The crowd cheered and wooed as he said, "Tonight for your viewing pleasure—first up, you better not behave yourselves for Officer Spanky!"

More cheers as a man dressed as a police officer stepped up and burst through the curtain.

"Next up; he's ready to take your temperature to a whole new level… Dr. Feelgood!"

Another round of cheers for the medically-clad stripper.

"Salute his shorts—it's Captain Sexytime!"

The crowd grew to its loudest once he came through the curtain. Sam shut his eyes, took a deep breath and let his mind get into work mode while the MC announced him.

"And last but never least, the ever delicious, White Chocolate!"

Sam put on a smirk and stepped up, pushing the curtains apart as the sea of college girls and regulars cheered for him. He played around with his suspenders, pulling them off his shoulders and then ditched his hard hat. Putting his abs to work, he approached the edge of the stage with several body rolls while swinging a fist around like a helicopter. A handful of girls waved dollar bills at him as he approached and as he took the tips in one hand, his other hand tore away his jeans, leaving him in nothing but bright yellow boxers that read "CAUTION" all over. He slipped the money down into the waistline of his underwear and kept on moving up and down the stage with his co-workers.

His eyes caught the sight of a 20-dollar bill flashing at the far end of the stage. Anxious to earn it, he advanced with a smirk. Unfortunately his body went rigid when he saw who was wielding the bill.

"You gotta be kidding me!" He shouted, though the music had drowned him out from looking outrageous.

"Well, well, well—didn't think I'd see _you_ here, Trouty. Then again, I hear it's hard to get off the pole."

Santana.

A shade of pink started crawling up his neck and towards his cheeks but he quickly retorted, "I'm not a pole dancer, Santana."

Catching the furious glare of his boss, he kept on moving to look like he was working but his eyes were bearing into Santana. "What are _you_ doing here?"

She rolled her eyes, "Sorority function. Forced to come and hold my urge to vomit all over your stage. What's your story? I thought you told my girl, Mercedes you wouldn't be stripping again after you moved back here."

Sam pursed his lips angrily, "It's not what it looks like."

"Ha! Alright I'm in a generous mood so I'll give you another chance to explain."

"Not now," he muttered loudly through clenched teeth. "Later." He swiped the 20 from between her fingers and started to dance away.

"Hey!"

He winked back at her and kept dancing for others. His break wasn't for another twenty minutes but he was constantly reverting his attention back to Santana. She had taken a seat in the back and every time he looked at her, she was either staring with complete boredom or was throwing dirty looks at him.

Finally, his break had come and he left the stage with the others. He had enough time to get some water, empty the tips from his waistband and dry the sweat from his face before going out to meet Santana. She was waiting for him out front but he led her around to the side of the building.

"Alright, out with it Guppy Lips. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't send this to Mercedes right now." She held up her phone to show a photo of Sam in his caution tape boxers. It was slightly blurred but he wasn't an idiot and neither was Mercedes—she'd recognize him in a heartbeat.

"I can't believe you took that!" His anger flared again, "Why do you care so much, Santana—I already told you that it's not what it looks like."

"I care because Mercedes is my home girl and _you're_ lying to her!" She folded her arms and waited with an irate gaze. "Stop stalling and tell me before I hit 'send'."

"Okay, okay! Look I'm doing this for her."

Santana's brows came together, "Come again?"

"It's true! I'm…" he sighed, "I'm trying to save up enough money to go out to California and be with her. Not just to visit but…to stay with her, and Puck. I've been planning it for a while now but I hadn't told anyone yet… except you now."

Tightening the fold of her arms against her chest, Santana told him, "You do realize she'll kill you once she finds out you're stripping again, right?"

"I was thinking she might ease up on me once she knows I'm doing it for her."

Santana's hand flew up—her palm facing him, "Let me stop you right there because you're just making yourself look dumb…well, dumber. Stripping for your girlfriend like you say you're doing? Doesn't even sound a little bit sweet do don't go there by trying to make it sound like you're doing it for her."

"But it's tr—"

"Ah! See this hand?" She pointed to her palm, "Means I'm still talking and you keep those big ass lips shut 'til I'm done. Comprende? Good. Anyway, you got another thing coming if you think Mercedes is gonna fall for that 'But I did it for you, baby!' crap. It's garbage and you and I know it." She lowered her hand finally and resumed folding it across her chest. "What she _is_ gonna see though, is you returning to the place where you gave up your unholy dick in some cougar's vag."

He felt like Santana had yanked on his tongue only to release it land send it flapping back in his mouth like a set of blinds in a cartoon. "Wh—she told you about that?"

"Oh quit deflecting Trouty! Everyone in glee club knew about your sexcapade before graduation."

Sam's anger flared again as he muttered something under his breath about going back to Lima and killing Joe.

"Psh, Teen Jesus will be the least of your worries when Jones sees you. Nice boxers by the way," she mocked.

"Santana listen—you can't show that picture to Mercedes. I'll tell her, alright?"

"When?"

"When I get to L.A. Seriously. If she's gonna get mad at me over it, I'd rather she find out from me in person."

Santana stared at him for several seconds, mulling over his words against her itching trigger-happy thumbs. "Alright, Trouty. When are you thinking you'll be going out there?"

"Just before Halloween. I should have enough money for a plane ticket, and to help them with rent by then."

"So until then, you're gonna keep lying to her? What does she even think you're doing for a job, because it can't be actual construction."

"Ha, ha. No she and my parents think I'm a bellhop at Best Western." He took in Santana's confused expression and said, "It was the only thing I could think of to explain why I work late, and usually on the weekends. I figured my parents would get suspicious of me always being gone Thursday through Sunday nights, so sometimes I just leave notes and tell them I'm hanging out with old friends."

Santana's brows rose, "Well…I gotta say, you cover your tracks pretty well at least. But you best be lucky it was me who found you here and not any of our other friends, or Berry. Loose lips sink ships, and her big mouth could tank the Titanic."

Sam had no arguments there. "So you're not going to tell Mercedes?"

"Not so fast, Fish Lips. I asked about your plans for a reason. Consider this the turning of the hourglass. If you don't fess up to Mercedes before Halloween—in person or not—I'm telling her, and I promise it won't be pretty for you."

He ground his teeth but what choice did he have other than to agree with her? She was like a miniature Sue Sylvester when it came to blackmailing people. Let out a furious sigh, Sam turned his head away from her and muttered, "Fine."

Sam and Santana's heads turned as the back doors to Stallionz creaked open. The guy identified as Officer Spanky appeared from around the corner, "There you are, Sam! Break's over. Josie gave the two-minute warning."

"Thanks, man," Sam replied. He looked back to Santana and let out another heated sigh. "No one else knows about this Santana."

She picked up his tone of warning and waved him off, "Don't get your panties in a twist, Trouty. I'm a woman of my word. Halloween's your deadline. Until then I'll keep quiet." With that, she turned and headed back for the entrance, "Don't wait too long though or I might get antsy!"

"Dammit!" he spat under his breath, but he couldn't fuss at her about it anymore. Clocks seemed to be ticking all around him—one would cost him his well-paying job while the other would cost him his relationship with the best girl he knew.

With time ticking, he hurried around to the back of Stallionz and prepared to finish out his shift for the night.

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_**Please leave reviews! I read them all and I'm always interested to know your thoughts on how things are going so far! :)**_


	5. Secrets Don't Make Friends

**Early October 2012**

Puck stood in the kitchen clad in nothing but boxers, pushing scrambled eggs around in a frying pan. Sitting next to the stove, he had already fried some sausage links. After Puck finished up, he served himself a plate in one hand and picked up a notebook in the other. He stuck a pen behind his ear and carried everything into the living room for breakfast. He and Mercedes had yet to get themselves a dining set, but they managed with just eating on the living room floor or couch.

Before the first bite of eggs entered his mouth, he heard Mercedes' bedroom door open up.

"That smells bomb, Puck. Please tell me you made enough to share."

"Check the counter," he replied.

While he heard Mercedes shuffle around the kitchen, Puck ate a few bites, and then grabbed the pen from behind his ear to map out his October schedule for Noah's Ark. Since coming to L.A. his pool-cleaning business had been on an upsweep; he had picked up seven regular clients and a few one-timers on the way.

"I gotta hand it to you Puck—you might not be the next Chef Ramsey, but your breakfasts are bomb."

Puck smirked, "Ain't nothing new, Troubletone Jones. Breakfast is my specialty."

"Beats a bowl of Raisin Bran. It's not like we can afford to splurge on big meals anyway."

He was soon joined by his friend and roommate in the living room. She sat down on the floor with a plate of eggs and sausage, "Working today?"

"Not exactly. I swore off working weekends, remember? So I'm just getting my schedule together up through Halloween. What about you?"

"Yeah, I gotta work. This local singer…um…I can't remember his name, but he doesn't have an opening act, so my boss wants me to open for him."

Puck nodded and lowered his gaze back to his notebook. He felt Mercedes' eyes on him but ignored her gaze for the time being.

"Puck, you should come tonight. I could get you in for free!"

"Uh…"

"Come on—it'll be fun. Besides, you always hit the clubs—take a break from racking up numbers for your little black book and watch me work."

The mohawked teen rose a brow, "That sounds wrong in all the right ways." Both his brows were wiggling and Mercedes clicked her tongue at him.

"You know what I meant."

"Of course I did. Anyway, yeah I guess I could do that."

"Thanks Puck."

"Yeah," he replied. This time, his eyes were lingering on her but she hadn't returned the gaze. It seemed like she was concentrating too hard on scrambled eggs. In fact, her attitude lately had been pretty off but he never cared much to ask. Since it was going on for a while now, however, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit concerned. "You okay, 'Cedes?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine."

Puck scoffed, "Come off it. Why do you look like someone stabbed your dog?"

Her brows furrowed, "That's terrible." Puck said nothing and continued to stare at her with no apologies. She sighed and finally confessed, "I just…I feel like Sam and I aren't gonna make this work for much longer. He's either working late or I'm working late, and we keep missing our calls and Skype dates. And I don't want a relationship that only exists in texts. Plus he just seems…off when we _do _talk."

"Then ask him about it."

"I did. He keeps saying he's just tired or busy from school work."

Puck shrugged, "Maybe he is. Work and school and helping with your family at the same time sucks. It's doable, I know, but it sucks."

"I know," replied Mercedes as she poked at a sausage link. "It's a lot to juggle at our age, but…I can't help feeling like he's avoiding me."

Already Puck was growing bored. He wasn't one for in-depth relationship conversations; most of the advice he had to offer anyone was very cut-and-dry. He shoveled another fork-full of eggs and sausage in his mouth and went back to working on his schedule.

"Puck, what if he and I can't make this long distance thing work?"

He shrugged, "What are you asking me for, Mercedes? It's not like I'm some relationship guru."

"I know that. But you're our friend. Some reassurance would be nice."

Puck appraised her genuinely concerned expression and sighed, setting his pen and fork down once more. "Look Mercedes. Yeah, you're my friend and Sam's my boy; he's a fighter and I'm pretty sure he proved that to you for all the time he was back last year. You really think he's gonna throw all that away after you two have only been apart for a couple months?"

"It's happened to us before," muttered Mercedes.

"Yeah 'cause that was what you guys wanted. It was a mutual thing, right? Now you guys want to stay together. It's still a mutual thing so you'll figure it out. Just talk to him when you can and don't freak out when you can't."

It was only a slight realization for himself but his genuinely helpful advice seemed to give Mercedes the boost she needed. As he set his plate aside and put his full focus on finishing his schedule, from his peripheral vision he saw Mercedes stand up and approach him in just a couple of small steps. He raised his head just as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Thanks Puck. For the breakfast and the advice."

As she sauntered off to her bedroom, Puck lowered his gaze once more. His focus was split now however; he wanted to get his schedule done, but he also wanted to be sure things were okay with his friends. He tapped the pen on the surface of the lined paper, trying to push his thoughts to go one way or the other. Every time he leaned towards working on his schedule, the little Puckerman on his shoulder would tell him to think of his friends. And whenever he leaned towards figuring out a way to help his friends, the mini-Puck on his other shoulder would remind him that it wasn't his relationship to get involved in.

Making up his mind, he shut his notebook and stood to get retrieve his phone from his room. On his way, he nearly ran into Mercedes as she emerged from her room again with a bath towel and shower caddy.

"Woops! My bad. I'm just gonna jump in the shower. I wanna get some groceries before work tonight."

"Sure, sounds good," Puck replied although he hadn't really been giving her much attention when he spoke it. He slipped into his room and tapped the door shut, yet slightly ajar for a brief and private call to his blond-headed fiend.

"Answer your damn phone, Sam," he muttered after the third ring. Finally, Sam picked up.

"Dude, do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked in a hoarse, morning voice.

"Oh cry me a freaking river—you're two hours ahead of us which means you've already got more sleep than me. Wake up, Romeo. I need to know if you and Mercedes are on the rocks."

"What?" His question seemed to rouse his friend from his slumber, "No, we're not. Why? Did she say something?"

Puck kept his voice low, waiting to hear the shower water run as coverage before he spoke on. A few seconds later, the pipes groaned and the sound of water splattering hit Puckerman's ears. He still spoke in a quiet and rushed voice, but he worried less about being overheard by Mercedes. "Listen, dude. I don't know why you're playing dumb but if you can't handle the long distance thing with Mercedes then just tell her already!"

"What are you talking about?" He heard Sam ask with obvious annoyance.

"I'm talking about figuring out a way to get closer to your girl."

"I'm already way ahead of you, bro. Look don't tell Mercedes but I'm planning to fly out there on Halloween. I wanna move in with you guys."

Puck paused for a moment, "Whoa hold on—are you _crazy_? How would your parents even be cool with this?"

"I'm talking to them about it tonight. But listen, I'm eighteen so I can move out with or without their permission. I've been saving up money since I moved back to Kentucky and I'm ready. I have the ticket and some money saved to help you guys with rent until I get a job out there."

"I dunno dude," he responded with a sigh.

He heard the defensive tone in Sam's voice, "What's the problem? It's not like I'd be bunking with you. Mercedes and I can share her room and I'd be helping you guys with rent. I know you guys have been getting by but just barely. Me contributing will help out. And like I said, I wanna be close to her again. And I thought we were bros!"

"We are but—"

"But, what?"

"But you shouldn't spring this on Mercedes; she's been tripping about missing you and she told me—…Hold on…You've only been back in Kentucky for two months and I know that's not enough money for a ticket and shit out here when you haven't even been working that long."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Can I buy a vowel? Fess up, dude! How'd you get the money so fast?"

"Alright, alright but you can't tell Mercedes!"

"You're asking me to keep a lot of secrets from your girl for you."

"I know! But seriously you can't mention this to her or it'll screw up everything."

As Puck started to put the pieces together, he heard the shower go quiet. Immediately his voice lowered to a hiss, "You're stripping again, aren't you!"

"Shut up! She'll hear you!"

"Calm your tits, dude—she can't hear me right now."

Sam sighed into the phone, "Yeah I went back to Stallionz. But listen you and Santana are the only ones who know about that."

"Santana?"

"Long story. But swear to me you won't say anything. I'm gonna tell her when I get there."

Puck was shaking his head, wearing a humorless smile, "Dude your ass is grass when you get here."

"Gee, thanks. I gotta go buy thanks for the encouraging words," Sam sarcastically replied.

"My services aren't always free so, you're welcome." He heard the bathroom door open and lowered his voice to a whisper, "You better find the biggest box of chocolates and the freshest long stems when you tell her. If she kicks your ass out after you get here, it's _me_ who's gonna have to hear her cry over a tub of Ben & Jerry's."

With that, he hung up and let out an aggravated sigh. The call didn't go as he expected but now he had bigger fish to fry. Mercedes wasn't dumb; in fact she was definitely one of the smartest girls he knew. If he couldn't keep himself in check around her, he was bound to let something slip up—either about Sam's surprise move or his return to Stallionz.

He bit his lip while standing in the middle of his bedroom, deciding it best to steer clear of her as much as possible until Halloween.

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Puck jumped, "Jesus! I mean—yeah?"

"Umm…I was just gonna ask if you wanted anything from the store after I get dressed," said a skeptical Mercedes from the other side of the door. "Jot them down for me and leave it on the counter. I'll grab it before I go."

"Oh, uh...alright. Cool."

There was a long pause and then he heard her mumbling voice fade away.

Yep. The next few weeks were going to be interesting, for sure.

* * *

_**Please leave reviews! And THANK YOU ALL so much for the feedback, private messages, story alerts/subscriptions, etc. It really does mean a lot to me and it's such a boost of motivation! More is definitely coming, and as the old saying goes, "What's done in the dark always comes to light." ;)**_


	6. Treat or Trick

**Halloween 2012**

* * *

"Are…are you sure?...But I don't have…okay…No, no I am. Thanks Celeste…" Mercedes chuckled, "Okay, I'll see you later. Bye."

The moment she hung up, she sighed and her whole face fell. "Now what, Mercedes?" she asked herself. Her boss, Celeste made a last minute demand for her to work that night. On the one hand, Mercedes knew she should be grateful for the extra hours, which meant extra wages and tips. In addition, she was slated to be the only performer that night—no headlining acts to follow her because she was _the_ act. But she was told to come in costume, in the spirit of Halloween but there was one problem there: she didn't have a costume. She always was insanely nervous about having to perform ten songs in one night. She had never done that before, and the impromptu notice from her boss only added to her nervousness.

The cherry on top of this was that when she tried calling Sam to share the news, the call went straight to voicemail. "Hey this is Sam. Sam I Am…" She sighed listening to his recorded message, followed by the automated voice's instructions.

"Hey Sam," she made little effort to hide her disappointment. "Call me back when you get this." With that, she hung up. Part of her knew that he was probably in class right now but she remember when he first started his senior year, he would leave class just to call and give her well wishes for job hunting. If she ever called him during school hours, he always answered before it went to voicemail. But that didn't happen anymore.

Mercedes grimaced at her phone, and then let out another sigh as she made her way back to her bedroom. She called her mom to share the news with her, but her mom didn't pick up either. Rather than leaving a voicemail, Mercedes hung up and let the missed call notification sit on her mom's phone.

Currently, she had the apartment to herself, so she wasn't concerned with getting any smart-assed responses when she groaned, "What am I going to wear tonight? And _what_ am I gonna sing?" As she sifted through the closet of hung clothes, her eyes locked on the white polyester suit with the black lapel. She grinned, recalling the week that led to her, Finn and Santana winning those identical suits. She didn't know she would be putting the suit on again so soon but it was about to be a great emergency Halloween costume. And while the thought of disco was on her mind, she figured she could include some covers of the late Donna Summer in her set list that night.

Finally feeling excited, more than anxious, she set the suit on her bed, and then made to leave a note for Puck, asking him to come to the venue tonight. After leaving it on his bed, she returned to her room, grabbed her towel and shower caddy, and half ran to the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

Mercedes finished her sound check at the Hotel Café with a run-through of "On the Radio". Her boss, the two bartenders and the waitresses who had been setting tables all clapped for her. She had made friends with all of them fast; being a small business, they looked out for one another like a family.

"Girl, I know you wanna be a legend—and I have no doubt you will be one day, but please don't be in a hurt to leave us!"

Mercedes laughed, "Thanks Celeste."

"I mean it, Mercedes! Hell, I would definitely give you more solo shows on nights we're not really booked."

Her eyes widened brightly, "Don't play with me, Celeste…"

Celeste—a petite Latina woman in her early 30's who was currently dressed like Elphaba—grinned, "I'm serious! There offer's there for you, Mercedes. For now, go get your costume on. Doors open in 30."

A stunned smile appeared on Mercedes' face as her boss stalked off to her office. She couldn't believe she was practically being promoted already. After hopping off the stage and heading to the back, Mercedes rifled through her bag and struggled to steady her fingers on her phone. She quickly noticed that Sam still had not called her all day, so she decided to call her mom again with the news. By the time her break ended and she finished up her call, Mercedes was dressed in her white suit. She tousled her wavy weave for volume to give it a very 1970's Donna Summer-esque `do and double-checked her make-up before making her way out of the dressing room.

With a slight draw back on the curtains that divided her from the rest of the club, she peered out to see about how many people she would be singing to. The club was fairly packed with a lot of costume-clad customers, but it wasn't a sold out house. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, and opened her eyes for one more glance. Her eyes went to the club's entrance as a man dressed like Popeye came in. Her eyes brightened, coupled with a wide smile at the sight of her friend and roommate coming to support her.

The house lights dimmed cueing Mercedes to take to the stage. As she did, her boss' voice boomed overhead to give her a proper introduction.

"For those of you who don't know, we have one of our own here to entertain you before the witching hour and after that, we'll have our open mic fright night! Until then…Give it up for the fabulous Mercedes Jones!"

Everyone clapped and many cheered as the introduction to Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell" started. Mercedes owned the stage, gauging everyone into clapping to the beat; a few people even got up to dance.

Her nervousness subsided only slightly, by the time she got through Beyonce's "Naughty Girl" and went into her first Donna Summer cover of the night, "She Works Hard For the Money." Of the songs in her set, she only felt comfortable covering one Whitney Houston number, out of fear of losing composure. She saved it as her second-to-last number. Prior to the start of the song, she spoke to the audience for a moment.

"You guys are amazing—thank you so much for the love and support tonight, and for spending your Halloween here at the Hotel Café."

Everyone erupted into more claps and cheers and Mercedes smiled graciously.

"This next song was sun by another incredible woman we lost this year—Ms. Whitney Houston."

There was a respectful round of applause, pierced only by a loud, "We love you, Whitney!" from one man.

"Damn straight!" agreed Mercedes with a somber smile. "But um…Whitney has been and continues to be my biggest idol. She's one of the reasons I'm pursuing music and…anyway, this is 'All the Man That I Need'."

The crowd was already cheering before she finished saying the song title. The soft trilling crescendo morphed into the saxophone and Mercedes crooned a smooth run of "Ooo"'s and went right into the first verse. Unable to help herself, she thought of Sam as she sang. And as much as she wanted to smile about it, the reminder of their distance and him not returning her calls again brought a pool of tears to her eyes. She was thankful it wasn't enough to keep her from singing on but she squeezed her eyes shut on the tears and doubled forward slightly to deliver the best performance possible. \

"_He fills me up, he gives me love—more love than I've ever seen. He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world, but he's all the man that I need_…"

The saxophone solo blared through the speakers just as her emotions began to overwhelm her. She opened her eyes again and fixed her gaze on the back of the club where no one was seated; no one was standing there, staring at her tear-eyed, distraught face. For all she knew, everyone seated before her probably thought that she was really feeling the song and missing her idol—everyone but perhaps Puck.

For a moment, she forgot that she was supposed to be combating the saxophone melody with vocal riffs. As she raised the mic to catch the end of the vocal break, her lips froze, her gaze froze and her body went rigid. Emerging from the club's entrance with a bulky duffle bag over one shoulder and a suitcase in the opposing limb's hand was none other than Sam.

It felt like time stopped to give her a surreal moment to process what she was seeing: Sam in Los Angeles with bags. Sam, standing in the back of the Hotel Café wearing one of his many muscle-flaunting V-necks under his pinkish-red hoodie; even in the dark or under a spotlight, she would know that hoodie anyway. He was casting that adorable crooked smile at her.

Unable to help herself, she smiled back at him and quickly wiped her eyes. The moment of retarded time ended as soon as she heard the key change in her cover. Gathering up some professionalism, Mercedes jumped back into the song, just in time, and she finished with a smile. The entire club was on its feet, clapping and cheering, showing obvious favoritism for her cover of the ballad. But her eyes were stuck on Sam as he shuffled awkwardly through the club, drawing closer to the table where Puck sat. She saw him embrace their mohawked friend and then take a seat as the applause died down again.

"Thanks again everyone. Really, this is a night I hope I never forget. Thank you all for being here again. This is my last song of the night."

An overwhelming number of people "Aw"ed and booed at that and Mercedes laughed. "Come on now—I'm sure y'all have some songs and stuff that you want to perform. And if not well…I got a bag of Starbursts at home with my name on it, so..."

Some folks laughed at that and Mercedes grinned, "I promise this last one will be a good one. In fact, I want you all out of your seats dancing to this one. And I mean _ALL _of you." Her grin remained on her face as she started on Donna Summer's "Last Dance." Gradually people got to their feet and some moved the tables and chairs out of the way. Hands mimicked Mercedes' free hand as she swayed it back and forth through the air for the introduction. When the song picked up its pace, she dropped her hand to her side and immediately started shaking her hips. Her eyes flickered about the room through the number to catch people dancing. She caught Sam's eye halfway through the song and winked at him. In return, he blew a kiss back with both hands, triggering a bashful smile on her face.

* * *

When she finished, Mercedes took a couple of bows and scurried off the stage with the intent of changing and downing some water.

"Hold it, Missy!" called her boss. "Keep the John Travolta suit on. There are some adoring fans out there who want to meet you, _pronto mamacita_."

Mercedes giggled, "I can't believe that went so well. I didn't think so many people were gonna come."

"I _told _you you're on your way to becoming a legend! And hey, I want you to perform a longer opening set for tomorrow night."

"Who's performing again?" Mercedes had been so caught up in the high of the night, she forgot her schedule."

"The ever sexy, Ginuwine—better known as Ginu-_FINE_! He's gradually making a comeback in his career after falling off the radar and wants to perform here. Anyway, go meet your fans and I'll see you tomorrow at 5."

"Thanks Celeste!"

Mercedes left the dressing room, expecting her adoring fans to just be Sam and Puck, but to her surprise a few others had asked her for pictures with them and one couple asked her when she was going to make her own music.

"Sooner than you think," answered a deep voice from behind.

Mercedes turned to see Sam and Puck flanking her with smirks on their faces. She immediately threw her arms around her boyfriend and then promptly pulled away to swat his arm.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For not calling me back! I was so upset with you!"

Sam rubbed his arm, "I was on plans for most of the day. Plus this was all supposed to be a surprise!"

He smiled at her and she smiled back, "Well…it worked 'cause I definitely wasn't expecting to see you. How long are you staying?"

Puck bowed his head with a fixed gaze on her face, "Don't you see all this bags? Boy's not going anywhere for a while, 'Cedes."

Her eyes bugged. Could this night possibly get any better?"

"But…I don't get it…how?"

Sam bit his lip and averted his gaze, "I saved up my money, talked to my parents, and here I am.

Mercedes brows furrowed while her eyes narrowed. She knew Sam well enough be tipped off by his honesty and his half-truths. "Okay…you're not telling me something."

She caught him side-eye Puck and shook and index finger at him, "Uh-uh don't do that, Sam. What aren't you telling me?"

"Well…okay look, maybe we can go back to your place and I can tell you there? It's kind of a long story."

She arched a brow at his nervous smile. After shaking her head dubiously, she said, "Fine. We'll talk there but, I'm just glad you're here though, Sam."

"But for how long?" Puck muttered under his breath.

"What?"

Sam kicked Puck in the shin.

"Nothing," they both answered.

"No, not 'nothing'. Why would you say th—"

In Sam's hand, she saw the screen of his phone light up. Her attention went there as Sam's face went from deep anger to absolute horror.

Before Mercedes could ask what happened, her own phone buzzed in her hand.

"Wait! Mercedes, don't!" Sam demanded, panicked.

He made to snatch her phone but Mercedes jerked away. Parallel tracks creased the space between her brows as she stared down at her phone. "What's wrong with you? It's just Santana. Probably wondering why I haven't called her yet this w—"

Mercedes' features made a swift transformation, like the dark clouds coming to shut out the sun before a storm. Her eyes deadened at first when they locked on the blurred image of her scantily clad boyfriend accepting money from some woman. She saw the red curtain behind him with the blurred neon sign that only read the "Stalli" part of Stallionz over his head. Mercedes' jaw set tightly when she read the text below: "You need to talk to Sam. Sorry T.J."

If she could breathe fire, Sam would be scorched right where he stood. Instead, her breaths came and left her lungs silently but heavily. When her gaze snapped up at Sam, she flipped her phone around to hold it at his eye level and angrily asked, "What the _hell_ is this, Sam?"


	7. Bucked

**Halloween 2012**

_Following Sam's short call with Puck, he knew he was going to have to talk to his parents before everything blew up in his face. Little did he know that that's exactly what was going to happen anyway. He sat down with his parents that afternoon—a feeling of déjà vu washing over him—and told them outright of his plan to move to L.A. by Halloween. The déjà vu feeling faded at the sight of his parent's faces. His mother looked sad and disappointed, and his father wasn't looking at him at all, but Sam could tell that he was harboring anger. _

_His mother asked him a few questions—where he was going to live; what he was going to do for school and a job, and if he was planning to come home for the holidays. Sam had answers for all of these. Then came his father's first bit of input in the conversation._

"_Well, son…it sounds like you've thought this through a lot. And you're an adult so even if your mother and I didn't approve of you going, we couldn't stop you."_

"_Yeah, but Dad I still—"_

_He stopped when his dad held up his palm. He still hadn't looked his son in the eye, which made Sam more nervous than he was letting on._

"_I only have one question for you, Samuel. How did you get the money for a plane ticket?"_

_Sam wanted to squirm in his seat. His dad was staring him dead in the eyes as if "STRIPPING" was scrolling across his irises like a marquee. Instead of shifting uncomfortably, he let out a short, nervous chuckle and said, "From work, Dad."_

"_Best Western?"_

"_Yeah. Where else?"_

_Sam saw his dad's jaw clench, before saying, "Well, that's what your mom and I would like to know. Y'see, I was booked for some renovations at Best Western the other day…"_

_Sam froze._

"…_and imagine my surprise and _embarrassment _when I mention to them that my son, Sam Evans, works here, and the hotel manager tells me that they don't' have a Sam Evans on staff."_

_The color drained from Sam's face with the growing angst in his father's voice._

"_So…I'm gonna ask you one more time, Samuel: How did you get the money for a plane ticket? And why don't you try the _truth _this time?"_

* * *

_It had been the worst conversation he'd ever had with his parents. His dad never raised his voice at him his entire life, and that day was no different—even after Sam told the truth about everything, including his time working at Stallionz twice. His dad's lack of yelling, coupled with his mother's profuse tears only made him feel like the worst son on the planet. Days had passed with little-to-no exchange of words between Sam and his parents._

_They finally re-visited the conversation, one week before Halloween. Sam was on the verge of cancelling his flight; as much as he loved and missed Mercedes, he hated how much he had disappointed his parents with his lies. But to his surprise, his parents sat him down and encouraged him to go on with his plans for California, with a few conditions._

"_Don't lie to us again, Samuel," his father said coolly but sternly. "Your mother and I didn't raise you or your brother and sister to be anything less than honest. _

_Sam nodded._

"_After you get settled, you get yourself enrolled in school. Don't let L.A.'s lights and stars sweep you up and make you forget where you're from."_

_Again, Sam nodded, but inside he couldn't believe his parents were okay with letting him go._

"_If you stay out there past three months, then we're selling your car. You can use the money towards getting a new one, or for rent."_

_Briefly, Sam felt a little upset about this. He liked his car, but it was likely going to be a burden to his parents, rather than an aid if it stayed in Kentucky._

"_You keep in touch with us—your mother wants a call from you—"_

"_Once a week, Sam," she chimed in with a sad smile._

_Sam returned the smile to his mom and nodded once more._

"_And last, when you get to California," his father said, "you tell your gal the truth. Mercedes is a good girl and she deserves to know everything from you."_

* * *

His dad's words kept repeating in his mind like a broken record as he sat in the back seat of Mercedes' Equinox. He couldn't stop staring at Mercedes from in between the seats, even though her face was shielded from his by her curtain of black wavy locks. He could see her still looking down at the photo Santana sent to her phone while the tension rolled off her polyester-clad backside.

The ride back to hers and Puck's apartment was uncomfortably silent. After she stopped him from explaining inside the Hotel Café, they all made to leave, with Puck offering to drive. At one point, Puck tried to lessen the tension by turning the radio on, but Mercedes immediately shut it off and lowered her head back to her phone. Meanwhile, Sam was sitting in the back by himself—shoulders slouched while his face displayed a mixture of frustration and concern.

When they reached Puck and Mercedes' apartment complex, Mercedes grabbed her keys from the ignition and gathered up her purse and bag. Sam watched her quickly leave the car with a slap of the passenger door. Puck looked back at him, brows raised. He shook his head at Sam and sighed, "Go talk to her dude. I'll get your stuff."

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. He opened one of his bags beside him, took out a small box and left the rest behind. His hand twisted the knob to door 8A, and to his gratitude, he hadn't been locked out. For a moment, his eyes took in the apartment; aside from parts of Mercedes' room via Skype, he hadn't really seen what it looked like. His eyes looked to his left—the living room—and when he didn't see her there, he stepped into the place further. His gaze went to the right where he saw three white doors. The nearest of the three was shut but donned a wooden "M" painted purple and hanging in the center.

Drawing a deep breath, Sam approached the door and knocked twice. "Mercedes?"

There wasn't an immediate answer, but the door soon swung open, and he was met with a furious gaze from his girlfriend. She ditched her white jacket but still wore the white bell bottoms and a black camisole.

His grip around the small box tightened in his nervous hand. "I'm sorry, Mercedes."

Mercedes hissed a sigh in response, all the while shaking her head at him.

"I know I shouldn't have lied to you—or anyone about what I was doing."

"It's more than that, Sam!" she snapped back. "You went behind my back, knowing_ exactly_ how I felt about that place!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I really am, but I—"

"Or maybe you just don't get how it makes me feel…" she cut across.

"No, Mercedes I do but—"

"Oh you do? You do but you went back there anyway?"

"I—"

Mercedes raised a hand, palm side-up. Her fingers were unsteady but he stopped to hear her say, "I can't talk to you right now."

Sam came up short. He hated when she put distance between them like this; it was different than miles being a barrier—worse, even because he brought this upon himself.

"Mercedes…just let me—"

"Sam." Just saying his name, he could hear the hurt, betrayal and anger she was feeling and showing. His heart began to physically ache at the sight of her glossy, reddening eyes. When she spoke again, her tone had dropped significantly lower, but he still heard the tremors in it as she told him, "If being out here is gonna make you keep secrets from me and your family _again_, then I don't want you out here."

Sam's lips parted slightly. It felt like her words had slapped him across the face. His pained heart was pulsing loud and hard in his ears; without a chance to collect his thoughts once more, Mercedes closed the door in his face.

He raised his free hand to the knob but stopped before his fingertips touched the metal. His head lowered at the same time that his fingers formed fists. On the other side of the door, his girlfriend was sobbing. Because of him.

* * *

_**Please leave me reviews & tell me what you think so far! Grateful as I am for the story alerts, story/author favorites and whatnot, the reviews really mean a lot to me and let me know whether or not I should continue!**_


	8. Dr Puck: Love Guru

_**A/N: I know some questions may not have been answered yet, but I am notorious for little cliffhangers in my writing. So read on and enjoy! ;)**_

* * *

**Halloween 2012 (continued)**

Puck chanced an entrance into the apartment, expecting nothing. He brought Sam's things with him and set them down near the door when he took in the odd quietness of the place. His eyes went to the living room where he saw the back of his friend's blond head over the top of the couch. Puck pursed his lips and wandered over to see Sam's distressed face glaring at his phone while his thumbs moved furiously across the keyboard.

"Dude…what are you doing?"

"Texting Santana," Sam answered shortly.

Puck sighed and snatched the phone from Sam's fingers. Right away, the blond was on his feet.

"Give it back," he growled.

"Oh sit down, Evans," replied an unfazed Puck. At the same time, he pushed Sam back, causing the younger male to lose his balance and sit again. Puck took a seat next to him and started reading the next. He raised his brows, "So that's why she knew about…"

Sam looked ready to explode.

"Damn," muttered the mohawked male. He shook his head a few times before setting his gaze back at Sam; while handing the phone back over, he told him, "Don't text her dude. Not right now anyway. Santana may be the queen of all things bitch-related, but you've got bigger fish to fry." His head jerked towards the bedrooms, "Mercedes didn't kick you out did she?"

Sam shook his head, "No. Least I don't think she did. She's in her room crying so I don't know what she's gonna do."

Puck shrugged nonchalantly, "Probably dump you. Maybe give me another chance."

"Are you done?" snapped Sam. "Because if you are, I'd like to get on with thanking you for your help."

"It was a joke."

"Bad timing. Really."

Listen—you screwed up. Big time."

"Thanks a heap, Captain Obvious."

"Hey," Puck pulled his sailor's cap off to shake it in front of Sam's face. "First of all, I'm Popeye the _sailor_ man. And second, I never told you I was done so don't thank me yet."

"Look, I know I screwed up!" yelled Sam. "I lied to my parents! I lied to my girlfriend. She's crying 'cause of me! It's my entire fault—I get it!"

Puck watched his friend's outburst with an expressionless face. He let Sam realize on his own that he was shouting and huffing; gave him a moment to calm down and then spoke back to him. "So why did you do it? Why not just be real with everyone from the get-go?"

"I didn't wanna disappoint my parents," Sam quietly answered. "But I did that anyway. I wasn't trying to hurt Mercedes, but I did that anyway." He began counting off on his fingers while stifling a yawn. "I wanted to surprise her…and I guess I did that but—"

"But not the way you wanted."

Puck watched Sam purse his lips and then mutter, "Yeah." After a moment of staring at his friend, he got up from the couch and then returned rubbing a washcloth over his face.

"Here's what I know about Mercedes. She's a take-no-shit kinda girl but she's got a soft spot for you, like no other. She loves you, bro. And instead of figuring all this out with her, you're out here trying to rip Santana a new one, and you're getting reason and advice from me. Think about your life choices, dude."

Sam smirked humorlessly at that and yawned, "I can't talk to her right now."

Irritated, Puck gestured to Mercedes' room, "Just go_ talk_ to her, dude!"

"No—really, I want to. But she doesn't want to talk to me."

"How do you know?"

Sam stretched out on the couch, "She told me."

"Oh…" Puck rubbed his face towel over his bicep, washing the drawn-on anchor off. "I dunno what else to tell you. Sleep on it, I guess. Try talking to her again in the morning." He could tell that Sam wasn't fully listening to him anymore. His gaze was off in space and he hadn't said anything in response.

Puck wandered away again to put his face towel back, and then he went into his room to change. He took his time changing clothes to mull over his friends' predicament. Once again, he didn't want to get involved but he did anyway. He also knew that the chances of avoiding it—given that_ both_ of them were now his roommates—were practically impossible.

After throwing on a black wife beater and Batman boxers, he sat down and sighed. Secretly he was hoping that Sam and Mercedes could work out their problems soon. He was never big on voicing his opinion on his friends' relationships but in his opinion, Sam and Mercedes were the real deal—the couple to make things work, regardless; them and Mike and Tina. He looked around his room for a moment to see if there was something else he could do before bed, but nothing in his room really laminated any light bulbs. His guitars were in one corner of the room; his pool cleaning equipment was in another corner of the room and clothes and extra bedding were inside his closet. Puck stood again and snatched a pillow and blanket down from the closet's shelf to bring it out to his friend.

When he reached the living room, he started to say, "Hey maybe you could shower her with gifts and s—"

He came up short when he noticed that Sam had fallen asleep. Puck clamped his lips together, tossing the pillow on the ground near Sam's head and tossed the blanket over the majority of his friend's body. As he started to walk away, he noticed a tiny box sitting on the ground near the pillow. Puck picked it up curiously and opened it. Inside was a bracelet made of braided metal wire; linked to one of the braids was a charm of a microphone. The inside of the lid had Sam's chicken scratch: "_Congrats baby. I knew you could do it! Love, Sam_."

Grimacing, Puck closed the box up, left it on the pillow and locked up the apartment for the night. If his friends weren't able to talk out their problem by tomorrow, he was going to take some drastic measures to make sure it happened soon. That night, he lay in bed, cooking up schemes in his brain until his mind slipped into unconsciousness.

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_**Please leave me feedback/love/reviews! I'm always grateful!**_

_** And if you're worried about Puck only being an in-between/advice-giver for Sam and Mercedes for this fic, fret not! He'll have more development as this fic progresses. All will be revealed in due time. ;)**_


	9. Eight Words

**November 1, 2012**

Mercedes woke up, her eyes feeling exceptionally heavy this morning. She felt like yesterday was a dream-turned-nightmare, but in the back of her mind she knew it all had actually happened. And to prove it to herself, she checked the calendar on her phone which had the first of the month highlighted. She set her phone down again and turned over in bed, wanting to go back to sleep; wanting, but unable to. Though her night was divided into four events—crying, feeling angry, tossing and turning, and intervals of sleep—she knew she was still going to have to go to work today. But going to work required her to get out of bed, shower and leave the apartment. And getting to the shower and her car meant leaving her room. Which meant potential seeing Sam, and she wasn't ready for that.

She kept trying to play out scenarios in her head of what she would say or do once she did see him again, and none of them seemed to end well. Part of her felt like dragging on her hurt was childish, but at the same time, he had dragged out not telling her about this secret of his for who knows how long. And Santana knew about it. _Who else knew?_ She wondered. Mercedes shook her head, throwing back the covers and taking off her hair wrap, but not leaving her bed just yet. The adult thing would be for her to sit down and talk to Sam, and see where they go from there. But she didn't feel like being the adult right now. It seemed like she always had to be the adult. Why couldn't someone else be the adult? Why couldn't Sam have been more mature? Why couldn't he be honest with her from the start? Why would he wait and let Santana tell her the truth? Why would he even go back to Stallionz, knowing the world of hurt it brought her?

All of the whys were bringing back the pulsing headache that frequently returned throughout the previous night. Sighing, Mercedes gathered up her towel and bath caddy and reluctantly left her room, unprepared for what she was going to walk out to. When she opened her door, the front rooms were quiet and Puck's door was closed, which she learned by now meant that he was either getting dressed or still sleeping. She bit her lip and wandered over to the living room couch. Sam's things were tucked away in the corner to the left of the entertainment center, and a blanket and pillow were folded messily at one end of the couch. She sighed and set down her things to fold the blanket properly. As she finished the last fold, she heard the toilet flush, followed by the long, rapid rush of faucet water. By the time it cut off, she had gathered up her things, steeled herself for the encounter she wasn't ready to have and headed towards the occupied bathroom.

The door swung open and without meeting his gaze, she saw Sam take a step out but quickly step back.

"Mercedes!" he gasped in a froggy morning voice.

She pursed her lips and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. It had been a long time since she had first seen or spoken to Sam in person, first thing in the morning. But he wasn't supposed to be making her smile; she couldn't let him see that.

It seemed like he understood her silent treatment because he sighed and stepped out of the bathroom, allowing her entrance. She started to close the door but Sam stuck his hand out and stopped her.

"Listen, I know you're really mad at me. And I'm sorry. I wish you knew how sorry. I know I can't make you speak to me, but…"

She chanced a glance up at him and immediately went back to biting the inside of her cheek. His dirty blond bangs were sticking up in every direction which would have been funny any other day; except that his eyes looked heavy from a terrible night of sleep. It didn't help that he was almost pouting at her too. He wasn't supposed to be making her feel bad for him either!

"Do you have some towels I could use for a shower? Just for today—I'll get some more later today, after I find a place that sells towels. I tried asking Puck but…he's like…dead to the world right now. The Macy's Day parade could come right through his room and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't budge."

That did it. She coughed one chuckle but caught herself and quickly turned away from him. His helplessness tugged at her heart; she set her towels and caddy down, left the bathroom and returned to her room. When she came back out, she had a neatly folded royal purple body and face towel set sandwiched between her hands. She handed them to Sam and when he smiled and told her, "Thank you," she nodded and quickly shut herself inside the bathroom. Her back pressed to the closed door and she looked up at the ceiling, hating every moment of silence she'd put between herself and Sam. Childish silent treatments were _not_ her forte.

While in the shower, Mercedes let the warm, steamy aroma relax her for the first time since her last shower. No matter how she felt, she could always count on a nice hot shower to help clear her head and relax her. After turning the water off and chasing some of the water off her body with her face towel, she stepped out and wrapped herself up in her full body towel. She collected her pajamas and caddy, and made to leave the bathroom but was once again halted by Sam. He looked upset and antsy this time but his tone was his typical calm.

"Mercedes I need to talk to you. Please," he lightly pressed.

She opened her mouth but before she could say anything he spoke on.

"Even if you don't want to talk to me, I really need to you hear me out. Just give me…five minutes." She saw him think up a number and spout out the first one that came to mind, which made her roll her eyes and sigh.

For a brief moment, she looked away from him, gazing pensively to the side and then she looked back up into his bright green, anxious eyes.

"Let me get dressed Sam. Then I'll see."

With that, she side stepped his still form and vanished into her bedroom to put on some clothes.

* * *

_**Please leave reviews! Apologies if this chapter wasn't very exciting to read. I wanted to get a little of Mercedes' POV in before she and Sam and have real talk about what happened. I promise this won't get dragged out because I'm sitting on several ideas for this fic that I want to start writing out already! But pace and perspective are important.**_

_**And I have to admit…writing an entire chapter where the conversations are entirely one-sided is a pain in the ASS! But I didn't want Mercedes to speak until the very end. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! More is coming! And keep in mind what Puck promised himself at the end of the previous chapter, in regard to running interference. ;)**_


	10. Long Day & Longer Night

_**Carrying on in Mercedes' POV**_:

* * *

Mercedes dressed in a loose, black leopard print tee and grey leggings, all the while wondering if she was ready to have her talk with Sam or not. She took a deep breath, clasped a heart-charmed necklace around her neck and sighed, walking out of the room. Her eyes saw Sam turn and rise from the couch, taking in her apparel.

"You look really nice," he told her.

Mercedes did not smile when she said, "Thanks." She wandered over to the couch and sat down, watching Sam fidget slightly when he took a seat again.

"Mercedes, I just wanted to tell you I'm really…really sorry. I never meant to hurt you—I just…I really wanted to get out here as soon as I could. And I wanted to surprise you."

"But you went back to the one place I asked you not to go."

"I know," he whispered sounding angry.

Mercedes asked him, "I get you were trying to come out here as soon as possible…but couldn't you have tried raising the money some other way?"

"I tried—honest, Mercedes, I really did. But no one was hiring. By the time I came back to Kentucky, all the places I'd gone to had already hired."

"You do get why I didn't want you going back there, don't you?" she asked. Her face was stiff with upset.

He nodded, "Yeah, and trust me—I know stripping isn't the most moral or respectable job out there but—"

"Wow." Mercedes shook her head, laughing humorlessly, "It has nothing to do with morals. Yes that matters to me and I hope you'll always feel respected in wherever you work, but every time I think about Stallionz or you working there…" she shook her head, looking shamefully away from him. "All I think about is you having sex with some stranger and it makes me angry all over again."

From her peripheral vision, she saw Sam look away from her and sigh.

"I know I forgave you, Sam. And I'm not going to keep beating this over your head, but this is also why I didn't want you going back there. I didn't want to be that girl who says they forgive you but really doesn't, and I sure as hell didn't wanna think about you—…like that."

She turned her gaze on him again and saw him squinting harshly at the floor. After it seemed like Sam wasn't going to say anything back, she stood up and told him, "I have to go."

"Where are you going?" he asked. She could hear his voice laced with sadness when he spoke.

Mustering up all her strength to keep on walking, Mercedes replied, "To work. I really didn't think I had to explain that to you, Sam. I thought all this time that you knew and now that I know you didn't see that before…I don't know if that makes things worse. I just…I can't do this right now."

"Mercedes, wait!"

She heard him get off the couch as she entered her room.

"I know I'd hurt you about that before but…" he let out a frustrated sigh, "I feel like no matter what I say, it's just gonna make things worse. I'm sorry—I can't tell you how sorry I am, Mercedes."

She faced him while clutching her purse to her chest. For what felt like a long time, she stared up in his sincere, jade-colored orbs and felt a tug at her heart. She opened her mouth to form a response but at the last second, she shook her head and stepped around him, taking quick strides out the door without a backwards glance.

During the entire drive to the Hotel Café, her chest felt uncomfortably tight while Sam's apologies echoed profusely in her mind. No matter what she tried to think of to suppress it, his words kept sprouting back up like weeds. Once she parked and shut off her car, she leaned forward, resting her head on the steering wheel, and let out an exasperated sigh. In truth, she really wanted to forgive Sam again; she hated to stay angry about anything, as it truly did wear her out, but she also needed to communicate to Sam how seriously hurt she felt by his betrayal.

Her heart nearly exploded with shock when something, or rather someone slammed their hands against her window, simultaneously hollering, "Hey Mercedes!"

Mercedes clutched at her chest while jolting upright and whipped her head to the left to see one of her friends, Natalia—one of the venue's waitresses—grinning widely at her. She was three years old than Mercedes and had tawny skin, big brown eyes and thick, dark chestnut hair that was evidently difficult to contain; usually Mercedes saw her wear a headband or clips to keep it out of her face during business hours.

The singer quickly recovered from Natalia's impromptu appearance and pushed open her door, "Girl, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Natalia giggled, "Sorry. You looked like you were trying to sneak in a nap before work or something." The frizzy-haired brunette cocked her head to one side, brows knitting together. "You okay, chica?"

"Not really," Mercedes admitted, looking instantly bothered.

Her friend pouted and then put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on—we'll get something to drink and you can tell me what's up before Celeste has me prep tables."

Grateful for a little girl chat, Mercedes followed Natalia inside. The elder girl veered off behind the bar and fixed them both Shirley Temples, throwing some extra cherries in Mercedes' glass before bringing them over to the table Mercedes chose.

"Okay, tell me what's up. Is it about one of those guys you were talking to last night?"

Mercedes' brows shot up but she faintly smiled, "You have eyes like a hawk, huh?"

Natalia simpered and shrugged, "What can I say?"

"Well…you're right."

"Ooo is it the guy with the landing strip on his head? He's your boyfriend, right?"

"Wrong," answered Mercedes with one shake of her head. "Puck's my roommate."

"Puck? The hell kinda name is _Puck_?"

"It's a nickname of his. Anyway, that's not important. He's my roommate and a friend of mine.

"A friend or a '_friend_'?" Natalia made air quotes with her fingers. When she saw the look Mercedes gave her, she quickly folded her hands on the table and said, "Okay, okay, sorry. Go on."

Mercedes chuckled dryly, "Anyway. The other guy is Sam, my boyfriend. He surprised me by coming out here last night and he's planning to stay and move in with Puck and I."

"I gotcha," said Natalia, looking like she was struggling not to inquire more. Thankfully for her, Mercedes proceeded to fill Natalia in many of the things Mercedes hadn't already told her in regards to her relationship with Sam. She skimmed through Sam and his family moving from Lima to Kentucky; Sam's return to Lima during her senior year and his fight to get her back. She added her discovery of him stripping for work while they were apart, and how she and Sam had talked it out before they got back together. And she ended by telling Natalia what happened last night.

Natalia had sucked down half of her Shirley Temple by the time Mercedes had finished.

"So now I don't know what to do. I feel like if I forgive him already, I'm letting him off the hook easy. But I know Sam—and he knows me well enough to know that if I'm truly hurt or bothered by something he's done, he does his best not to do it again to upset me."

"Except this time."

"Exactly!"

Mercedes watched Natalia pluck a cherry from her own glass and stick it in her mouth. "Well," she spoke around the cherry, "Shit."

She rolled her eyes, "That's helpful."

"What?" Natalia innocently replied. "Look I can see where you're coming from but I can also see where your boo's comin' from."

"So can I. That's why it makes this so difficult."

"Do you want my advice?" asked Natalia.

"Yeah—could use some."

The elder girl leaned back in her chair, causing it to tip back on two legs. "Okay, here goes: Work through your shift tonight and then see how you feel afterwards."

It sounded like reasonable advice until Mercedes remembered that she was working a full shift today; that meant four hours of sound checking, and rehearsing, followed by an hour of performing, and ending with two-to-three hours of staying through Ginuwine's set combined with meeting with Celeste to discuss the November schedule. There was no way Sam was going to be awake by the time she got back home.

Just as she predicted, her shift was a full eight hours long, on top of her early arrival to the venue. Ginuwine's set wasn't as long as Mercedes anticipated, but Celeste made up for the time she thought she'd be able to go home early by expanding the schedule meeting with several tangents on how amazing_ Ginufine_ was. But Mercedes did heed Natalia's advice and on her drive home she felt grateful for it. Her mind did feel clearer after a night of performing, and the uncomfortable tug in her chest was gone when she drove this time.

When she arrived at the apartment complex and parked, she noticed on her way to the front door that all the lights were off in the living room. She felt a twinge of disappointment at being right this time; Sam was going to be asleep and they would have to wait until tomorrow to talk.

With a sigh, she unlocked the door and let herself in. Her eyes were blinded by the darkness so she reached over to hit the light switch, but before she had the chance to, she heard an urgent, muffled voice.

"Sam?" she called out, confused.

Immediately after, she gasped; someone grabbed her from behind, cupping their hand over her mouth to stop her from alerting their neighbors. Before she knew it, she was being wrestled to the ground.

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_**Please leave reviews! More is to come!**_


	11. Louse Intervention

Sam heard his name called and right away he teetered back and forth in his chair. "MM-HMM-HMM!" he tried to shout her name but his mouth was sealed by duct tape. Unfortunately his efforts were in vain, as he heard Mercedes crash to the floor with a garbled shriek.

"MM-HMM-HMM!" Sam jerked violently but was tightly bound to the chair.

"Get off me! Damnit, Puck!"

He stopped. _Puck? _He thought. _Puck's behind this?_

"Shh! Stop elbowing me Merce—OW! My Jew jewels!" hissed Puck. "Damn, you've got some fight in you, Mercedes. Hold still!"

"Like hell—have you lost your mind?"

"No!" Puck replied.

Sam had gone from panicked to pissed in a matter of seconds. He'd been bound and gagged for at least an hour; just moments ago he was fearing for his girlfriend's life, only to discover that the person responsible for all this terror was their friend.

"Alright I'm not gonna gag you, but I do need to get you in a chair. You gonna help me or—"

"Am I gonna help you?" Mercedes mocked in outrage. "No I ain't helping you! Untie me Puck or I'll make sure your Jew jewels never reproduce again!"

Sam squinted in the dark, making out Puck's silhouette as he heaved Mercedes into a chair, directly in front of his.

"Turn the lights on!" yelled Mercedes.

Soon, they were no longer sitting in the dark; he and Mercedes were both blinking furiously as their eyes adjusted to the brightness. Puck was standing in boxers and a wife beater. Sam felt a sharp sting across his lips and hollered, the instant Puck reached out to his face and ripped the tape off.

"UGH! PUCK, WHAT THE HELL!" He rapidly puckered and relaxed his lips in an attempt to get over the sting.

"Look it's the only thing I could do to get you two to talk so you can make-up and move on from all this!" fussed Puckerman.

Sam went from glaring at his friend to trying to relax his green hues on his girlfriend.

"By the way, how'd you know it was me, Mercedes?" asked Puck.

Sam didn't think Mercedes could glare any more harshly but she managed to do so as she told him, "No one else I know bathes in Axe, Puck."

Puck stared and slowly turned his head while raising one arm to sniff his armpit, causing Sam to roll his eyes. "Look Puck just un-tie us, alright? We can talk to each other without being held hostage."

"Forget it. I gotta get ready but if you guys don't make-up by the time I'm ready to go then you're gonna be stuck like this til I get back."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked angrily.

"Hitting up the club to get some more clients." Throwing up a peace sign, he said, "Later!" and headed into the bathroom. A few seconds later he came back out, patting aftershave on either side of his face while strutting into his bedroom.

Sam glared after him but looked back to Mercedes and grimaced with clenched teeth. She didn't look like she had anything to say to him and he was quietly agonizing over it. As Sam tried to think of a way to start their conversation, he tried to get Mercedes to at least look at him but she was too busy trying to get her hands free. He'd already made several attempts for the time he'd been bound to the chair but the ropes were too tight around his wrists to grant him much movement.

Sam opened his mouth to say something to Mercedes but no sound came out. It felt as though his mind had just shut off on him in a defense of saying something that would just get him further out of her good graces. He closed his mouth with a quiet sigh and stared at the floor, making a new attempt to free his hands. While his shoulders alternated rising and falling from his movements, Puck's bedroom door opened up again.

He stared at his two friends, sighed and shook his head in disappointment, "Well…looks like I'm leaving you two. Hope you work this out before I get back," he said on his way to the front door. "Otherwise it's gonna be a loooong uncomfortable night for you two."

"Puck, let us go!" Sam demanded again.

"See you guys later!" replied Puck before closing the front door behind him.

Again, Sam found himself glaring after his mohawked friend. He shut his eyes while counting to ten in his head, but he only made it to four before he heard his girlfriend finally speak to him.

"How'd he get you?" asked Mercedes.

Sam opened his eyes to look at her again, "I went to check out the area this afternoon and find out about enrolling for school and when I came back, he tackled me but it was kinda dark in here and he'd thrown a blindfold on me for a while. I thought some stranger had broken in or something."

Mercedes' eyes bugged, "How long have you been sitting here?"

"I dunno. You guys don't have a clock on any of the walls and I couldn't get to my phone…but it feels like hours and I'm hungry."

"I'm sorry."

Sam's expression changed, stern and confused. "Why are you sorry?"

"The only reason he's doing this is 'cause I've been mad at you. If I'd just stayed and talked to you earlier, none of this would've ha—"

"Mercedes stop." Sam shook his head, all the while working to loosen his ropes. "You don't have anything to apologize for. We wouldn't be in this situation if I'd just been honest with you sooner, or…not gone back to Stallionz."

"Sam—"

"No wait, let me finish." He swallowed glancing at the floor for a moment and then looked into his girlfriend's eyes. "I thought a lot about what you said to me before you left. I…you were right and it was stupid for me not to get why you didn't want me back there. I mean I know lying to my family was part of it but…Mercedes, I didn't wanna hurt you. I don't wanna lose you either which is why I tried so hard to get out here. You hadn't even been gone that long and it felt like we were already slipping. And I promise you—I looked for other jobs but none of them were gonna pay me enough to get out here soon."

His face was washed over with a sad gaze until he saw Mercedes' hands appear from behind her back. Eyes widening, he asked, "How did you…?"

Mercedes shook her head and leaned forward to kneel in front of him and un-tie his ankles. "I was in Girl Scouts for five years._ Some_ good had to come out of their knot-tying lessons, right?"

She smiled up at him and Sam couldn't help smiling back. On top of the fact that hers was utterly contagious, it was the first time she'd smiled at him since he showed up at the club. When she removed the twine from around his legs, Sam rotated his ankles to relieve the stiffness and watched her move around to free his hands. As soon as the tension had gone from his wrists, he rubbed them and waited for Mercedes to appear in front of him again. When she did, he stood up and closed his arms tightly around her.

His face buried into the top of her hair, taking in the familiar smell of her strawberry shampoo. His large hands molded to the curvy contours of her torso as he held her like their relationship depended on it. This was what he wanted to do last night; how he wanted to reunite with her. He wanted so badly for things to be right between them again and for her to forgive him. Deep down he knew it wasn't right for him to expect her to forgive him overnight; not after he spent the past two months lying to her but he wasn't a stranger to the fact that all it took was one moment of deceit to screw up a relationship.

At first, Mercedes felt stiff against him but the moment he felt her hands on his back, her form melted into his.

"I forgive you, Sam," she murmured into his strong chest. "I don't like what you did, but I can't stay mad at you." He looked down just as she lifted her twinkling chocolate hues up to him. "I love you too much and I wasn't raised to walk around holding onto my anger."

While it was what Sam wanted to hear, it didn't stop the feeling of guilt pinch hard at his chest. It was moments like these where he felt like Mercedes was too good for him; that she deserved better. He stared blankly at her as she pulled his face towards his and tenderly kissed his lips. When she pulled away she told him, "We're moving forward from this, right? Together."

Sam nodded but his thoughts were far away. He had to find a way to really make things right between him and Mercedes.

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_**Please leave reviews! More's coming, including a visit out to LA from one of their fellow McKinley alums! Any guesses as to who it'll be? Let me know! :)**_


	12. A Special Guest

**Late November 2012**

Puck was up surprisingly early that day. He had an unusually weightless attitude all week, and today he had taken it upon himself to clean his bedroom, the living room, kitchen and bathroom by himself. He only paused on his cleaning spree when Mercedes' bedroom door opened and out emerged Sam, yawning and running a hand through his tousled bed head. The younger male sniffed and squinted at him.

"You been cleaning all morning, dude? The whole place smells like Pine Sol."

Puck shrugged, "Better than smelling like ass and chlorine, right?"

"Okay you know this place never smelled like ass. Mercedes wouldn't put up with that. And the chlorine smell's your fault. I keep tellin' you that you should clean off your pool stuff _before_ you bring it in."

"Yeah whatever," replied Puck. He was swirling a rag along the kitchen counter. "Don't you have school or something today?"

Sam shook his head, "Nope. Community college gave us the week off for Thanksgiving."

"You going home for Turkey Day?"

When Sam didn't reply, Puck looked up to see his friend scowling at the ground.

"I'll take that as a 'no'? Sorry, dude. But look on the bright side—neither are 'Cedes or me! We'll do our own thing here—have dinner, watch the game. It'll be boss."

"Have you ever even cooked a turkey before?" asked a dubious Sam.

Puck shrugged, "No but how hard could it be? Just put it in the oven, baste it every once in a while, and don't let it burn."

"And if worst comes to worst, we can just buy one of those pre-cooked ones from Safeway."

The look on Puck's face was one of someone who hadn't thought of that before. He shrugged again, "Yeah. That too."

Sam wandered past him to get to the fridge and as he did, Puck warned, "Mess up this kitchen and I'll kick your ass."

He missed the stunned, confused look on Sam's face, "Uhh…ooookay then? What's gotten into you?"

After finishing up with the counter space, Puck wadded up the rag in his hands and sighed, "Alright look…I'm bringing someone here today and I just don't want her thinking I'm a slob."

Sam smirked at him, "Oh yeah? Well, if she's someone that you feel cool enough o bring back here, I doubt she'd be freaked out by how you live."

"….okay I don't even know what you just said but it doesn't matter—the palce is cleannow and you guys gotta keep it that waywhile she's here."

Sam's brows went from highly-raised to scrunched low above his eyes, "Wait…how long's this girl staying?"

"Just for the rest of the week. I gotta go pick her up from the airport soon, so…"

"Pick her up—the airport? Alright seriously Puck, what the hell? Who is it?"

"Just…you'll see! I gotta go. I needa beg 'Cedes for her car."

Sam snorted, "Good luck with that. First of all she's still sleep, so she'll probably kill you for waking her. And second, she still hasn't forgiven you for tying us up, so don't count on getting access to her car."

Puck ignored his warnings as he crossed from the room to Mercedes' slightly ajar door. He knocked lightly twice and when he received no answer, he lightly pushed the door open. Despite there now being two people occupying the room, it still looked much more orderly than his own room. Sam's suitcase and empty duffle were propped up beside her dresser; his Letterman's jacket hung on a movable coat rack with her purple winter coat, her desk held both of their laptops and a framed photo of the two of them from a couple weeks ago when they went to Santana Monica for the day. Their shoes were lined up in front of the closet and beside Mercedes' _Sparkle_ promo poster was Sam's _Avengers _one.

The only mess—if it could be called that—was the blankets on the bed, which was still half occupied at the moment. Mercedes' back was to him, faintly snoring away.

"Psst! Mercedes!" Puck whispered.

She hadn't stirred.

He stepped further into the room until he was close enough to raise his foot on the edge of the mattress. HE pumped his foot on It a few times in hopes of stirring her from her sleep.

"Mercedes!" he whispered loudly again.

Still no answer.

Clenching his teeth, he looked around the room for something to help him wake her. His eyes briefly glanced at the door where Sam was now standing with a bowl of cereal in his hands. Puck shook his head at him, thinking _You're no help_, but he finally spotted Mercedes' car keys sitting on her desk. He tip-toed unnecessarily across the room and snatched the keys up, and then made his way back towards the door. A few times, Puck jingled the keys in his hand while calling Mercedes' name a third time.

"Mercedes I'm gonna borrow your car to go to the airport. I'll be back later with it, okay?"

This time, he got a reactionout of Mercedes, just as he'd hoped.

"Nnnhhh," she groaned, shifting her head slightly before lapsing back into complete slmber.

"Thanks, 'Cedes! I'll put gas in it!"

Without another word, he darted out of the room past Sam.

"Dude!" Sam fussed around a mouthful of Apple Jacks. He swallowed and quickly pulled Mercedes' bedroom door up before following after Puck, but Puck had closed and locked his bedroom door.

"Puck!" he heard Sam say through the door. "She's seriously gonna murder you—don't take her car!"

"What?" replied Puck loudly, "I can't hear you, sorry!"

"_Puck_! Come on dude, this isn't funny! If you mess up her car Mercedes and her dad are gonna kill you!"

While throwing on some different clothes, Puck replied, "I'm not gonna fuck up her car! Calm your tits, and while you're at it, why haven't you two told her parents you're living here yet, huh?"

He didn't get an immediate answer from Sam so he went on, "Yeah and when you and 'Cedes do tell me Papa J, give me a heads up so I can take cover 'cause you know he'll be on the next plane to LAX and then the condition of her car will be the _least_ of anyone's worries."

He opened his bedroom door again, revealing himself in a white V-neck, blue jeans and a black leather jacket. He slipped on a pair of aviators and twirled Mercedes' set of keys around his index fingers on his way to the front door. "Catch you on the flipside."

Feeling triumphant and anxious, Puck started up the car and headed off to LAX. As he left the apartment and got closer to the airport, his anxiousness started to overrule his other feelings. It had been months, and though they had kept in touch, seeing each other in person was always much more different. He thought there was a chance they weren't going to see each other again after graduation, but this was something he was glad to be wrong about.

When he reached the arrival spot, he pulled Mercedes' Equinox up to the curb and smiled at the sight of her. He parked the car and got out, smoothing a hand over his mohawk. His eyes took in her dark blue and white striped sundress, thinking she looked radiant and flawless as ever. Her signature smirk made his smile grow a little more and when he looked right into her dark green eyes, his heart gave an extra pitter pat.

"Hi, Quinn."

_**Please leave reviews! Also, don't worry—I hadn't forgotten about Sam making things up to Mercedes. Wait for the next chapter to see how that went ;)**_


	13. So Anxious

**Late November 2012**

Sam woke up later than usual and found himself snuggling up to Mercedes for the kind of warmth a blanket couldn't provide. He wanted to go back to sleep but the frequent clinking sounds coming through the bedroom door was driving him crazy and the agitation roused him out of bed. He quietly left the room to see what was going on and found his sense of smell bombarded by the unmistakable ammonia in Pine Sol. His nose wrinkled and when he realized Puck had been cleaning all morning, he merely shook his head and made his way into the kitchen to fix himself a bowl of cereal. Puck's theat to kick his ass was one he hardly took seriously until he realized that his friend was trying to impress someone—then Sam just became amused, and a little bit curious; who was this girl that made Puck want to clean up so…thoroughly?

He shrugged off the thought and poured himself some Apple Jacks while Puck snuck off into his and Mercedes' room to ask for her keys. Sam had rolled his eyes, yet part of him was curious to see how this was going to play out, so he slipped the milk back in the fridge, snatched up a spoon and wandered back to the bedroom door to watch. Puck's cheap attempt to get the keys made Sam's jaw fall; he passed on a warning to Puck about taking the car, but as he half-expected, Puck threw the warning back in his face. He knew Puck wouldn't go to Mr. Jones and rell but he also didn't like the idea of feeling a little bit blackmailed…again.

Mouth shut, Sam said nothing and let Puck go while thinking to himself, _Crash the car and it's your funeral._

Since Mercedes was still asleep and Puck had bailed, Sam went to the living room and sat down to finish up his cereal. He found it hard to enjoy at first so he set the bowl down on the coffee table and wandered over to the window to try and air out some of the Pine Sol smell. After making himself comfortable on the couch again, he chewed away each bit and thought of something new he could do today for Mercedes. Ever since the Halloween fiasco, Sam spent some careful thought each day trying to think of small, extra gestures to do to let Mercedes know how sorry he was and still is.

On one day, he had hand written her a letter meant for her eyes only. In it, he did his best to write out how he felt about her. Another day, he bought her a small stuffed teddy bear with a purple, feather-soft exterior. And on the day they all went to Santana Monica Pier, he went down to the beach and carved a gigantic heart with their first and last initials written in the sand. Before the tide rose too high, he snagged a picture of it on his camera; on another day, he'd gotten the photo developed and purchased a cheap frame for it to go in and gave it to Mercedes.

Everything he had done for her, she told him she loved, and sometimes asked him what had gotten into him. He either wouldn't respond, and pretended not to hear her, or he would merely shrug and say, "I'm doing it because I love you."

He enjoyed spontaneous romance when it came to Mercedes, and so that's what he thought on as he finished up his cereal. A light bulb lit in his head and he decided to just go with it as he rose from the couch, rinsed his bowl and half ran back to the bedroom. He didn't stop until he was back in bed with Mercedes. After pulling back the covers, his arms came around her and he gently kissed her neck. "Mercedes," he softly whispered.

Unlike Puck, he had luck on the first calling of her name.

She smiled sleepily, "Mmmhh, hi."

Sam kissed up to the hollow of her ear, trialing her soft brown skin with his luscious lips. His long fingers caressed up and down the curves and on one circuit up the length of her ribcage, he caught the side of her overly-large night shirt, hiking it up slightly.

"Sam?" she uttered in an amused but suspicious tone. "Wh—what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he murmured against her skin.

He felt Mercedes shift slightly around, and then her hands had pushed gently against his chest. He rose up and looked down at her, "What?"

"Seriously, what's gotten into you? Since when do you wake me up like…this?"

He chuckled softly and shrugged, "Since I decided I like being spontaneous with you, now shush—you're ruining the mood."

She giggled softly, "Don't I at least get a good morning?"

"You're_ about_ to if you let me go back to kissing you."

He watched her brows shoot up but her smiling lips also stretched to a grin. A moment later, she was slipping her hand into the back of his hair and pulling his face towards hers. Their lips crashed and Sam shifted on the bed, hovering over her with a knee on either side of her hips. His hands left the contours of her soft curves long enough o help her pull his wife beater up and off. He grinned against her skin as his lips trailed down her neck while his long fingers dragged gently up her bare skin, pulling her night shirt up a little more. She was giggling softly from him inadvertently tickling her sides but her gentle laughs morphed into moans as he ground his stiffening member against her hips.

"Sam," she moaned, "it's been a long time…don't go teasing me like that."

His voice came out a bit husky as he said, "I'm giving you a good morning." His fingers stroked across her plump lips while his other hand, "But this? Gotta go."

Sam's green orbs were looking at the only article of clothing she had on—bunched up below her chest—and he momentarily allowed her to sit up so it could come off. After tossing it aside he pinned her back to the bed pressing himself chest-to-chest against her. He felt her fingers at his hips, tugging on the elastic band of his pajama pants; after shifting around a few times to help her, he wiggled his ass a couple times, causing them to shimmy down to his ankles before he kicked them to the floor.

"Puck's gonna hear us," he heard her mumbled near his ear.

Sam froze for a split second and then went on caressing her naked form, "No he won't…he…" his lips were suddenly very busy with her chest.

"I can't hear you, Sam," she breathed.

"…went to the airport…" he muttered. "Took…keys…"

"He _what?_" Mercedes shrieked, pushing on his chest.

Sam reluctantly raised his head to look at her shocked, vehement expression. "Baby, don't let him ruin the mood, okay? He's just picking someone up at the airport and he even said he'd put gas in it." His head lowered back down and resumed kissing her tenderly; first at her lips, and then the corner of her lips, and then her cheek, trailing down past her jaw and neck until he was back at her chest again.

At one point he heard Mercedes grumble something about killing Puck but Sam shut his eyes, and shut out the momentary interruption Puck's car thieving caused. He was bound to make Mercedes forget for the time being as well; his head moved down the center of her torso, leaving a path of soft suckling kisses until his head was between her open thighs.

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_**Please leave reviews! Next chapter's in Mercedes' point of view. ;)**_


	14. Disturbed

**November 2012**

This was turning into one of the best Sunday mornings Mercedes had had in a long time. She knew she wasn't one to be craving sex on the regular, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss the couple of times she and Sam took a roll in the hay, along with some of his Aussie kisses. His wake-up call of kisses that led to his face now buried in between her legs roused her faster than she had expected.

She groaned, feeling herself get wet, but Sam was right here to lap up her juices like melting sherbet.

"S-Sam," she whined, accidentally clenching her thighs closer to his head.

Her head tilted back, digging into her pillow as she heard Sam gruffly ask, "What do you want, Baby?"

"You know, dammit," she groaned back, tightly grabbing a fistful of his blond crop. "Just do it—I can't take much more of this."

She saw Sam's head rise and as his face shone before hers, he licked his big lips and smirked at her. "Your wish—my command."

In no time, his lips stole hers, forcing her to taste her own juices while he eased himself into her, finding a slow, steady rhythm to start with. She moaned against his lips and arched her back off the bed while he pinned her hips down with his large hands. Her breath hitched upon his initial thrust but it didn't take long for to crave more from him.

"God I've missed you," Sam panted when his lips tore away from hers. As he opted to lower his face towards the groove of her neck, Mercedes locked her legs around his backside forcing him deeper into her.

Sam seemed happy to oblige, while also picking up his pace slightly. Mercedes had busied her hands all over his sculpted torso, but one good, hard thrust from Sam had her clawing her fingers into his skin.

"Was that good, Baby?" he asked, to which she moaned back, "Yes," a few times. No, nothing was quite like this kind of pleasure Sam gave.

"S-Sam I'm gonna…" She started to say. She had been so wrapped up in the goodness of their sex—the agonizing yet pleasing knot the was quivering in her stomach and the desire her lower folds had to keep Sam inside—that she hadn't heard the front door open, nor had she been attentive to the low murmurs that followed.

"And this is 'Cedes and Sam's room but I think they're still sl—" Puck started to say, twisting the knob and pushing their door open.

"_Oh my God!_" Mercedes screamed as they both came.

"OH MY GOD!" hollered Puck, slamming their door shut again.

Mercedes gasped; Sam froze, mid-thrust, looking right at the door. Startled and panicked, she pushed at Sam's chest to get him off while whispering, "Do you think he saw us?"

Sam looked down at her with the obvious answer already in his eyes. She snatched at the covers once Sam pulled out and collapsed beside her. "Oh my God—this is so embarrassing!"

"Psh, yeah but I say that's what he gets."

Mercedes flipped back the covers from her face, greeting Sam with scrunched up features. "Why?"

She watched Sam's bare shoulders rise and fall, "He took your car, and the door was closed—he shoulda knocked first or something."

"Who's out there with him?" Mercedes whispered, ignoring his answers to her previous question.

"Who knows? I'm sure whatever chick he's brought back has probably received some secondhand scarring though."

"Shh!" she urged, swapping for him to stop chuckling at his own joke.

Mercedes leaned her head off the bed and towards the door to try and see if it was a familiar voice. Of the "clients" Puck would go and hang out with at the clubs and bars, he had only brought one girl back to the apartment in the three months they had been living there. Her name was Shannon or Sharon—Mercedes couldn't remember, but she knew she wasn't someone that Puck was going to bring around frequently, and he hadn't. The one time Puck introduced them to each other was the last time; Mercedes was shamelessly cold, and later condemned Puck for it, as she was under the impression he'd reignited a flame with…

"Quinn!" her eyes bulged.

"What?"

"It's Quinn, Sam!" she smacked his arm repeatedly at the realization. "He brought Quinn here!"

"Are you glad about that? Stop hitting me!"

"Sorry," she bit her lip for a moment. "And um..I am but I'm not."

She expected the confused look she promptly received from Sam but shook her head and waved it off, "Forget I said it. We should probably throw some clothes on and try and make sure we didn't drive Puck into gauging his eyes out or something."

"Trust me, that is not an image he's gonna get out of his mind so easily. This one time when I was living with Finn and Kurt, I nearly walked in on—"

Mercedes' hands flew over his mouth, "Please—for the sake of not making me further forget how amazing this morning started…please don't finish that sentence with Finn and Rachel, or Kurt and Blaine. Or even Burt and Carole for that matter. Okay?"

Sam nodded from behind her hands and when she cautiously lowered the two away, Sam was smirking at her. "So you still had an amazing morning?"

She instantly smiled back, "Damn straight. I wish it could've lasted a little longer but…next time we'll invest in a lock first." She winked flirtatiously at him, gave his lips a quick peck and reluctantly rolled out of the bed to find an outfit to throw on. Facing the music with Puck and Quinn was going to be plenty embarrassing, but she let her mind cling onto glorious fresh memories that occurred up until a moment ago.

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_**Please leave reviews! Did you like this chapter? Next one's back in Puck's POV! We'll get some Quick & Samcedes. Thanks for reading!**_


	15. Warm Beds & Cold Shoulders

**November, 2012**

He was mortified—no, disgusted. Traumatized. Scarred—yes. Scarred was the right word. It was an image he wasn't going to ever be able to get out of his mind. Not for the rest of his life. His friends were never going to look the same to him .

"Puck!" Quinn loudly whispered, snapping him out of his shock with a firm smack on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"I've been saying your name for the past ten seconds. Look it's not that bad…"

"Not that bad? Quinn you didn't _see_ them!"

"Shh! Stop yelling. I'm sure Mercedes and Sam feel embarrassed enough without you adding fuel to the fire."

Puck finally sat himself down next to her and sank into the couch cushion. "Good! Damn, I'm gone for like..half an hour and they decide to jump each other's bones." Internally and outwardly, he shuddered. "I wonder what other surfaces those two have christened in my abs—never mind. I take that back. I _don't_ wonder. Nope. Never mind."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "You know you and I can't really talk, right?"

That brought a smirk to Puck's face, "But when you and I slap skins, it's hot."

She cast her signature smirk at him, "I think your opinion's bias."

"Why? You don't agree with me?"

"I didn't say that, did I?"

A moment later, Mercedes' bedroom door opened, causing Puck to instantly stiffen. He kept his gaze down at the floor as if not looking up might make Sam and Mercedes invisible to him. Meanwhile, Quinn left him on the couch; he heard her give a greeting to Sam and Mercedes but what made Puck's ears perk up wasn't her greetings or surprised Sam's reaction at her presence. IT was the dull reaction from Mercedes.

"Hi, Quinn," she replied with a breathy voice. Puck turned his head in time to see Mercedes give a feeble hug and turn her gaze heavenward. _What was her problem?_ He wondered. Out of the three of them Mercedes disliked surprise guests at the apartment the least, but…it was_ Quinn_ for crying out loud. They all knew her and once upon a time he _thought_ she and Mercedes were really good friends, but after that greeting…something must have happened. He just wasn't sure 'what'.

"How long are you here for?" asked Sam.

"Just til Saturday," she replied. "I have to fly back to Connecticut and get ready for finals. And speaking of school…what are _you_ doing about that, mister?"

Puck stayed at the couch to watch from a short distance, but his eyes always went back to Mercedes. She wasn't her usual chatty, engaged self; something was definitely up.

"I'm starting community college classes in the spring to make up the credits. Hopefully I'll have my high school creds out of the way around the same time that I _would've_ graduated this spring."

"That's great," Quinn replied, "I'm really happy for you that you made this work. And what about you, Mercedes? How's the fab life singing in LA?"

Mercedes shrugged, "It's fine."

Puck's brows furrowed. She came home every night with stories about customers or the headlining act, or her own performance and all she had to tell Quinn was 'it's fine'? He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to sit back and watch without putting her on blast.

"Am I gonna get to see you perform?" asked Quinn.

"Actually, no," Mercedes said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "I'm off the rest of the week, so…yeah."

"Bummer. Well..maybe next time. I'd really love to see you kill it somewhere besides the choir room.

"Aw man I hope you'll get to," chimed in Sam. "She's amazing. I can't wait to see her sign away when she gets that record deal."

_God he's so sunshine and roses—it's almost making me sick_, thought Puck.

"'Scuse me," spoke Mercedes, "I'm gonna go shower."

She dismissed herself from the group before anyone could say another word. He saw Sam look to Quinn and Quinn frowned and shrugged in response. They both turned uncertain gazes on Puck.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm trying to figure out what crawled up her ass and—…scratch that and let's just say I don't know why she's giving Quinn the cold shoulder."

"Maybe I should go talk to her," suggested Quinn in a low voice.

"No," Sam quickly answered shaking his head with his eyes on Mercedes' purple "M" on the bedroom door. "Just let her take her shower. She usually calms down in the shower so…"

"TMI dude," muttered Puck.

"I didn't mean like that! Damn. And by the way? It wouldn't kill you to knock next time."

Again, Puck shuddered, "Yeah whatever. Lesson learned."

"I hope so. You're lucky you didn't cockblock with that stunt."

"Ooookay this conversation is more than one level of awkward for me, so…can we talk about something else?" Quinn desperately asked.

"_Please_," seconded Puck.

"Yes," agreed Sam. "How's Yale?"

"Amazing!" Quinn answered with a bright smile that lit up her whole face.

Puck instantly smiled and tuned in as she proceeded to describe the campus to him and Sam. But the more she talked about how great it was, the more he felt conflicted. Part of him wondered how he let her go while the other part of him was happy to see her happy and doing what she wanted to do. But he wasn't one to dwell much on his feelings; depth in a relationship was something he had never been all that great at, and he knew it. Still, there was something about Quinn that he didn't want to fuck up, no matter what they were or weren't.

When he saw an opportunity to speak up again, he interjected on hers and Sam's conversation and said, "Hey since we're all free today, why don't we go grab lunch?"

"Ah, like a double date?" said Sam, wiggling his brows at Puck.

Puck merely stared at him though inside he was ready to smack him over the head. "Sure. Whatever. A double date."

"I'm game," said Sam with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm gonna see if Mercedes will share the bathroom with me so we can get ready sooner."

"Where were you thinking we'd go?" Quinn asked as Sam shuffled off to his and Mercedes' room.

Puck shrugged, "I dunno. There's tons of places out here. It's not like in Lima where we pretty much could just go to Breadstix. They have a lot of good places for cheap around here."

Quinn nodded slowly and then let her eyes wander around the apartment. Puck slowly sidled up to her and quietly asked, "Hey so…you really don't know what's up with Mercedes?"

"No, Puck. Honestly, I don't."

"It's just weird. I've never seen her act that way towards you before. Me? All the time, but you?"

"Yeah…" he heard Quinn's voice deflate and suddenly became more conscious of the fact that whatever Mercedes' reason for giving Quinn the colder shoulder was bothering Quinn more than she showed. He felt a tug at his chest that gave him the urge to cheer Quinn back up.

"You like cupcakes, right?"

Quinn arched a perfectly waxed brow, "Um…yeah?"

Puck turned one of his charming smirks up at her, "Because there's a place called Sprinkles out here. I wanna take you there before you go."

Quinn's lips curled, "Do they have red velvet?"

"Yep!" he answered right away, without knowing for sure.

"Then I'd love to go."

After moseying back towards the door to grab her bag, he took it to his bedroom and left it on the bed, then quickly returned to Quinn, "So when am I getting an invite to Connecticut?"

She rolled her eyes but still smirked, "I didn't know you needed one."

"Pft, it'd be nice."

"I know, but since when was I nice to you?"

"Ouch, Fabray." He feigned a hiss and rubbed a spot on his arm, "That almost stung."

Quinn giggled softly, "I'll be spending half my winter break in Lima and the other half on the east coast if you wanna come then. We could go to New York for New Year's Eve and watch the ball drop from Times Square or something."

"That almost sounds like an invitation."

"Almost is better than not at all, right?"

Puck rolled his eyes, "Almost don't count, Darling."

"Take it or leave it," she wittily replied and added a shrug, "Your call."

Their slight cat and mouse game grew old for Puck; with a wicked smirk, he pulled her close at her cardigan-covered hips and gazed deeply in her eyes before tilting his head and claiming her lips. Quinn gasped and kissed him back, cupping her hands to his cheeks until he suddenly pulled away.

"I'll take it."

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_**Please leave reviews! What do you suppose is up with Mercedes? Any thoughts on Puck's traumatic reaction at the start of this chapter? More is coming soon! Thanks for your patience! **_


	16. Not Okay

**Late November 2012**

Seeing as she was the only one with a car, Mercedes was designated the driver for their trip into town. Puck and Sam talked in between the front passenger and rear passenger's seat, arguing over which was the better summer flick—_The Avengers_ or _The Dark Knight Rises_.

"I know _The Dark Knight Rises_ was good," said Sam. "I'm not denying that. But seriously dude, _The Dark Knight _was better. _Avengers_ takes the gold this year."

"Psh," Puck rolled his eyes. "Your smoking something! You must be! The Dark Knight Rises was boss."

Mercedes chuckled softly at how animated both Sam and Puck were in their argument but when her eyes caught Quinn staring at her from the rear view mirror, she immediately quieted and put her complete focus back on the road. They'd talked about going a little closer to the coast for the day, so Mercedes drove the four of them to Santa Monica. When she found a spot close to the pier to park, they all got out and walked along the pier until they found a burger restaurant that looked appealing and affordable.

After being seated, Puck and Quinn took displaying a string of flirty exchanges while Mercedes peered at them over the top of her menu. She rolled her eyes but hid her tiny smile from all of them; it was true that she was glad to see both of them happy and smiling, despite her irritation with Quinn as of late.

"So Sam," spoke Quinn, drawing Mercedes out of her private thought. "I didn't get the chance to ask you before, what are you doing for work now that you're out here?"

Sam shrugged uncomfortably in his seat, "Nothing yet. I have an interview next week for a seasonal position at Safeway but nothing's set in stone."

Mercedes heard the struggle in his voice and grimaced, moving one hand from her menu to rub his shoulder in a consoling manner. "It's been hard for him but he'll get something." When Sam looked up at her she cast him an encouraging smile.

"You will," agreed Quinn. "You're a talented guy and LA's a big city."

"I keep telling him he could always come help out with Noah's Ark," said Puck before attempting to flag down their waitress.

"And I keep telling you that's not a good idea," retorted Sam. "We're already living together—I don't think working for you too is smart on my part. Plus if you end up having to pay me, what's that gonna do for rent?"

At that, Puck quieted and ceded to Sam's point with a casual shrug. Their waitress then returned and the four of them took their order. Puck went first, followed by Sam who suggested Mercedes and Quinn go before him.

"I'll have the chicken burger with extra tomatoes," said Mercedes.

"Ooo that sounds really good," noted Quinn with a smile. She looked up at the waitress and said, "I'll have that too."

Mercedes smiled tightly and then looked to Sam who ordered himself a bacon cheeseburger. As soon as the waitress walked away with their orders Quinn asked, "How are the classes at UCLA going, Mercedes?"

She shrugged once, "They're alright. It doesn't really feel like I'm in school though since I'm only taking a couple of classes right now."

"Oh, what classes?"

After clenching her jaw for a second, she said, "A composition workshop and an undergrad performance class."

Quinn smiled brightly, "I bet that's an easy A in the making for you—you kill every performance."

"Yeah you should've seen her when I got out here on Halloween," Sam chimed in, enthused. "Everyone at the venue she works at was cheering for her. She brought the house down, Quinn."

Puck nodded in agreement and Quinn's smile grew.

"Just don't forget us when you're famous, okay?"

Mercedes didn't stop the snort that escaped her, followed by her muttering, "Yeah okay."

The whole table fell quiet and Mercedes folded her hands beneath her chin, staring casually at the wall décor.

"Okay Mercedes," Quinn set her cup of water down, looking obviously exasperated. "What did I do? Honestly, tell me what I did that's got you being so rude to me."

Sam quietly asked, "Um…maybe we should do this later…like, in the car, or back at the apartment."

"No," Quinn sharply stated. "We're going to do this right here. Right now."

Mercedes cocked a brow and folded her arms, "You really wanna know?"

"Yes! I've been trying to figure it out ever since I got here. You didn't really return my calls after I moved for school, and you're being really…well…mean."

"Feels like I'm ignoring you?"

"Yes?"

"Feels like I don't care about it?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, Yes! What is this—20 Questions?"

"No, more like a taste of your own medicine. Quinn, what the hell? I thought you and me were like sisters; you helped me when I doubted my physical beauty. I welcomed you into my home when you were going through a rough time. You asked me to come with you and Puck when Beth was born. Then Junior starts and it's like we're hardly friends and to be honest? I tried not to let it get to me. But it seemed like things were cool again senior year and I thought we were at least friends again."

"Where's this coming from?" Quinn asked, genuinely stumped. "We _are _friends, Mercedes! You _are _like a sister to me!"

"Then why does it seem like that doesn't mean anything to you anymore? Why does it seem like you're best buds with Rachel now? You even went out of our way to get her a ticket to visit you but what about me, Quinn? Did you even ask me to come see you? Ever?"

Quinn's silence said a lot more than any 'no' would have, leaving her mouth.

Mercedes shook her head, letting out a humorless chuckle. "That's what I thought." She stared at Quinn, who could no longer look her in the eye, and then snatched up her purse while scooting out of her booth. She paused long enough to drop a twenty dollar bill on the table and then stalked away.

"Where are you going, Mercedes?" asked Sam.

She heard his concern almost instantly in his voice but kept on leaving as she replied, "For a walk."

She walked out the front doors and strode up the pier, ignoring the calling of her name the first two times and then finally she turned around, "What?"

Before she could receive a response she took a breath to calm herself a fraction and then sighed, "Look I know I channeled Berry right there and I'm sorry I did but at the same time I'm not. It's really infuriating to constantly be pegged as the friend to be walked over and think it's okay."

"Can we talk?"

She stared, trying to let herself calm down some more before giving a proper answer. Her eyes rolled shut and after a few more breaths she said, "Yeah…we can talk."

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_**Please leave reviews! I know the chapters are short but…they've kind of always have been short (save for Sam's return). So who do you think followed after Mercedes? Puck? Sam? Or Quinn? Let me know what you think! :)**_


	17. The Return of Dr Puck

**November**

Lunch had grown incredibly awkward, very fast. Everyone watched Mercedes up and leave the restaurant, and Sam was about to get up and go after her when Puck spoke up. "Leave her, dude."

Sam stared at him, "You're crazy—she's my girlfriend! Not to mention she's our ride back unless you're planning to walk from here."

Quinn sighed, "I should go. I'm the one who ticked her off and it's not like she's wrong for being upset."

She started to scoot out of the booth but Puck imitated her and grabbed her wrist before she was out of reach. "Hold up, Fabray."

Quinn turned her head and looked at him, brow arched. "What is it?"

"Let me go. You guys just…chill and wait for the food or something. I'll get her to come back."

Quinn grimaced but Sam spoke up, "Dude why are you going instead of me?"

"'Cause I'm awesome and she'd expect you," retorted Puck without breaking stride.

He caught up to Mercedes soon enough, grateful that she hadn't gotten too far down the pier.

"Mercedes!" he called out. A twinge of anger hit him when she hadn't stopped so he called her name even louder. This time, when she hadn't turned around, Puck halted, puffed his chest and bellowed across the pier, "MERCEDES JONES, TURN YOUR ASS AROUND!"

Finally she turned around, "What?"

Puck jogged to catch up with her and once he was in front of her, he listened to her say, "Look I know I channeled Berry right there and I'm sorry I did but at the same time I'm not. It's really infuriating to constantly be pegged as the friend to be walked over and think it's okay."

"Can we talk?" he asked, momentarily ignoring her hasty explanation. His brown hues bore intensely at her, trying to coerce a positive response out of her.

"Yeah…we can talk."

He gave one sharp nod and came to her side, initiating a short walk up the pier. "Okay, yeah that whole Rachel Berry storm out? Huge turn off, 'Cedes."

She cocked a brow high, "A turn off? Since when was I concerned about turning you on, Puck?"

Puck rolled his eyes, "'Cedes, you got swag—swag that doesn't include acting like Rachel.

"You know I hate being compared to Rachel."

"Then put your big girl panties back on and go _talk_ to Quinn."

At that, her even strides faltered but she soon regained her steps and sighed, "I know I need to, but…I'm just mad right now."

"Tsh," scoffed Puck, "Yeah I think you made that known back at the restaurant." When she didn't say anything back he asked, "Are you really jealous of Quinn's friendship with Rachel? I mean you two seemed really cool with each other at graduation if I remember right."

"That's because I didn't know until after graduation. When we were all that the train station saying 'bye' to Rachel, I overheard her and Quinn talking about it; Quinn was reminding her about the ticket, and yeah…at first I figured maybe I shouldn't be so mad since I'd be going out here to the other side of the country but…" she sighed, "it still upset me."

Puck could hear the sadness and hurt in Mercedes voice. Although he'd shrugged nonchalantly, his tone had softened. "Maybe that's exactly why Quinn didn't get you a ticket. You two have been tight since Sophomore year ended, right? Maybe she figured you guys would always stay in touch—like...it didn't need to be some big show of gift giving or something. I dunno. But you know who _would_ know is Quinn."

The slight sarcasm and sass in his voice made Mercedes roll her eyes but she also smiled at him and gently pushed at his shoulder. "Okay, smartass. I get the hint. We'll go back."

"Good 'cause I'm hungry and if her and Sam cancelled our order, I'm demanding you make us all something bomb when we get back at the apartment."

Mercedes laughed and he rose his brows, casting a humorless look at her while they headed back to the restaurant. "You think I'm joking? I'm talking mind-blowing 'Cedes lasagna—complete with garlic bread. And none of that premade bullshit." He shook his head, fighting the urge to smirk when she laughed at him. "Nah, I'm demanding it _all _be homemade."

"Boy you are coo-coo for cocoa puffs if you think I'm doing all that just cause you might miss your cheeseburger," laughed Mercedes. "If they canceled our food I'm buying you a different burger. McDonald's, Puck—nothing but the best for you."

His face dropped all traces of amusement, "Yeah that ain't happening. Lasagna and garlic bread, Mama."

"Mickey D's, Pucky," she mocked with a grin, bringing an arm around him. "Or you know what? I'll splurge. We can get you a burger from In-n-Out."

Puck hugged an arm around her neck and told her, "You're lucky you're my ride, Mercedes—otherwise I might not like you right now."

Again he had Mercedes laughing while the two of them walked. He smirked at her and shook his head while mumbling, "Mickey D's," under his breath in a scoffing tone.

When they returned, he was relieved to see that their food hadn't been sent back or canceled; the burger and fries he'd ordered were sitting untouched next to Quinn's chicken burger and basket of fries. Quinn looked up at him and offered a sad smile; Puck gave her one curt nod—his silent communication that things were OK—and moved his arm from around Mercedes' shoulder so he could sit beside Quinn again.

"Ahh sweet, beefy deliciousness," Puck happily sighed, wasting no time to snuff the awkward silence. He picked up his burger and glanced up to find Sam looked at Mercedes as if he was trying to gauge her mood. From his peripheral vision, he saw Quinn doing almost the same thing but her efforts were more subtle than Sam's.

"So…" started Sam.

Mercedes was poking her basket of fries with a lone fry. She drew in a deep breath, looking serious again and after letting it out she said, "Quinn, Sam and Puck—I'm sorry for how I blew up earlier. And Quinn…I'm sorry I let myself be bitter towards you this long. Really, it was childish and I should've just talked to you sooner. I'm sorry."

Quinn tilted her head slightly, and shook her head a few times, "Actually I'm the one that owes you an apology, Mercedes. I wasn't looking to hurt you by giving Rachel that ticket. If anything it was just more of a conveience thing, with her being close and all. But I didn't mean to make you think that it mean tI didn't want you to come see me, or that I wouldn't come out to California to see you. I mean I know Puck and Sam had to have been driving you a little bit up the walls with you being the only girl out her eiwth them."

Puck rolled his eyes; Sam looked like he was going to argue but hadn't said anything. Mercedessmiled and gave a few agreeing nods and Quinn went on, "I'm gonna make it up to you though."

Puck's brows rose and he perked up. Speaking around the mouthful of burger, he asked, "You are?"

"Quinn you don't have to do that," said Mercedes, finally sticking her fry poker in her mouth.

"No, actually I do. But even if I didn't have to do it, I want to. You'll just…wait til Christmastime, okay?"

Puck's eyes went from Quinn to Mercedes; another bit of relief washed over him when Mercedes nodded and smiled. It wasn't until he watched Quinn extend a fist across the table that his own lips curled into a smirk.

"Are we cool?" asked Quinn.

Mercedes' smile grew a bit as she met Quinn's fist with her own, "We're cool."

They two girls fist bumped and promptly spread their fingers to make the bump explode.

Puck chewed some more of his burger and dove back into his Batman/Avengers argument with Sam, but privately he continued to enjoy the amiable atmosphere that finally returned between his friend and roommate, and the girl who captured his heart.

* * *

_**Please leave reviews! Sorry it took me so long to get this update published. Hope you enjoyed Puck's PoV and the Puckcedes moments! More is coming!**_


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